Did Joey Votto retire? Free agent slugger posts sad meme as he remains unsigned

Joey Votto's first foray into free agency has not gone particularly well.

The veteran first baseman is among the several notable names still available on the market. He spent the first 17 years of his career with the Reds, but, following the end of 2023, Cincinnati declined his option for 2024 and made him a free agent.

Votto has responded to the lack of noise about his next steps by poking fun at his lack of opportunity.

missing ball pic.twitter.com/r8ZG9gfU2i

— Joey Votto (@JoeyVotto) March 6, 2024

His most recent post is a nod to a viral Keanu Reeves photo from 2010.

https://t.co/xSjvHxcKnU pic.twitter.com/kdG0MWXQNH

— Armando Arocha (@armandoaro) March 6, 2024

The 40-year-old Votto explained the goal behind his posts are to "entertain," saying that he enjoys making memes and interacting with people in the online community.

"These things come from just being playful and making sure that I can play off of the silliness that I've had a wonderful career, a wonderful career with so many gifts," Votto said on Flippin' Bats with Ben Verlander. "The idea that at 40 years old I'm going to complain or be dissatisfied or feel kind of like, 'This is not fair,' towards baseball and towards the fans, towards the business of it, towards anything is so ridiculous. And I'm not saying people are ridiculous, I'm saying the idea of me being dissatisfied is a ridiculous idea. And so I'm leaning into that, leaning into that and letting people know wink wink, let's play this game together sort of thing."

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Votto has been on a social-media campaign as he continues to go unsigned in free agency. He recently threatened that if he went unsigned, he would stop putting his shopping carts away at grocery stores.

@mlbonfox update from Joey Votto 🛒💔 (via joeyvotto/IG) #mlb #reds #cincinnati #joeyvotto #freeagency #baseball ♬ original sound - MLBonFOX

Asked by Verlander for any free agency updates, Votto simply doubled down on his threat.

"I can tell you that as it stands right now, as long as I'm unsigned, all shopping carts are under threat. Watch your back, shopping carts and shopping cart attendants, there will be a lot of unhappy people out there. Until I put a uniform on and get in a batter's box, all shopping carts will be in danger," Votto said.

He noted he has no actual updates on free agency and acknowledged he's among the many who are currently without a team. 

The Expos on Twitter (formerly X) told Votto to "call us." The 2010 MVP acknowledged a major problem (in French), saying, "You don't exist."

Vous n’existez pas! https://t.co/O6ElzvYKgv

— Joey Votto (@JoeyVotto) March 6, 2024

Did Joey Votto retire?

Votto has not retired from MLB. He is a free agent following the end of a 10-year, $225 million extension he signed back before 2012. The contract added to the two years remaining on his contract at the time and had him signed through 2023.

The Reds had a $20 million option for Votto in 2024, but opted to pay the $7 million buyout to get him out of the contract. 

Votto said he is keeping all options open in terms of his role and future team, saying he wants "the game to let me know where I fit in."

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The future Hall of Fame first baseman had shoulder surgery in August 2022, and said the recovery from it has taken a long time. He said he felt healthy enough to play in 2023, but not healthy enough to play up to his usual caliber. He added his goal is to work himself back up to full health and see what a fully healthy version of Votto looks back on the field.

"The game will let me know when I'm done," Votto said. "And I can tell you right now, I will thank my lucky stars when I'm done. I will be grateful. I've been so lucky to have gotten to this point, but I need the game to tell me I'm done. I need a healthy version of me to compete, fail, adios sort of thing."

Joey Votto stats

Votto is among the best first basemen in MLB history. He has 2,135 hits, 356 home runs and has accumulated 64.4 bWAR (Baseball Reference Wins Above Replacement).