Reds ink Votto 3/38

[DuWayne Steurer]

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=6027417

 

Good price tag I guess. Doesn't look like it buys out any free agency though. Looks like the Reds just wanted some cost certainty.

[Invader3K]

Seems like a fair price if he continues playing like he has.

 

Kind of ho-hum for Reds fans since it doesn't buy out any of his FA years, though.

[TooLiveBrew]

I don't really understand this deal for the Reds. They already had a good amount of cost certainty with Votto, without the risk of guaranteeing him money. If this deal appeases him enough to sign a long-term extension, then I guess I get it. Aside from that, it's a pointless contract.

[Funketown]

I don't really understand this deal for the Reds. They already had a good amount of cost certainty with Votto, without the risk of guaranteeing him money. If this deal appeases him enough to sign a long-term extension, then I guess I get it. Aside from that, it's a pointless contract.

That was my reaction as well. If it's laid out as $9, $12, $17 or something like that, it seems like they certainly wouldn't have ended up paying much more going year to year.

 

It would have been interesting to see how much Votto would have gotten for an FA year, to compare with Fielder. Going forward, I think Votto is a much better ballplayer than Fielder.

[endaround]

Do you even want to sign Votto to a long contract extension though? Keep in mind he's already 27.

[CheezWizHed]

He is only 8 months older than Fielder. The only difference in signing him long term vs. Fielder is that Votto would be cheaper, since the first few years, you are buying out the arby rate, instead of FA rate.

[Milltownhooker]

The risk on Votto is durability.

[endaround]

He is only 8 months older than Fielder. The only difference in signing him long term vs. Fielder is that Votto would be cheaper, since the first few years, you are buying out the arby rate, instead of FA rate.

Right, but he has 3 years before FA. Fielder has 1. You sign Fielder to a 6 year deal you get his prime plus 1 or 2 down years. You already have most of Votto's prime.

[GAME05]

the contract really doesn't make sense to me. i don't see that the Reds would have paid all that much more in arbitration than they're giving him now, and that's if he even has good health the next three years. the whole contract just weighs so heavily in favour of Votto, and i doubt he spent more than three seconds deciding on whether or not to sign this contract.

 

worst part about this contract is that i think this completely prevents the Reds from squeezing another one or two years out of Votto before he hits FA. now that he has his financial security, there's no reason for him to accept another $2M per season to extend his contract any longer (safe to assume the Reds would like that). thinking back to the Braun extension, Braun gave up a lot to get that financial security. the contract benefited both sides. at the most Votto is only sacrificing $1M or $2M, which is essentially nothing. i just don't see how this contract benefits the Reds at all.