In 2012, Joey Votto was sitting in front of Cincinnati Reds owner Bob Castellini, and they were talking about potential opt-outs in the eventual long-term contract extension he signed.

“He said, 'I want to know that you're going to be here for the long haul’,” Votto remembers on the day that the team announced that the Reds would not be picking up his option for 2024. “I want to know that you're going to be a Cincinnati Red.' ”

“At that time, that gave me pause,” Votto said on Saturday. “I was thinking, I don't like making commitments long-term, and that ended up being the very best decision on his part and it ended up being the best thing that's happened in my life because I'll always be known as a Cincinnati Red.”

On Saturday, for the first time since 2002, Votto is officially no longer a Red. The Reds declined the option for the final year of the contract that Votto signed eleven years ago. Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall said that there wouldn’t be enough at-bats available for Votto in 2024 with the infield depth already on the roster.

END OF AN ERA:Joey Votto out as Reds decline 2024 option on franchise icon's contract

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Votto always envisioned spending his entire career in one uniform. Now, the 40-year-old future Hall of Famer will test the free agent market. Votto said during a phone call on Saturday that he wanted to not officially close the door on returning to the Reds. 

But Votto has most likely played his final game of 2,056 contests with Cincinnati.

“There's an end to every story,” Votto said. “There's an end to every professional career, and if this is my time with the Cincinnati Reds organization, I have had the best time in my life.”

Votto stressed that he understood the Reds’ decision. He spent the entire 2023 season praising the “championship caliber” young talent on the Reds’ roster. Now, players like Spencer Steer and Christian Encarnacion-Strand will strive to fill Votto’s shoes at first base.

"At 40 years old, a team that's about to be a championship-caliber team didn't pick up the option of a guy who hit .200 in back-to-back seasons," Votto said.

Whenever the Reds’ young core makes a run in the playoffs, Votto said that he’ll feel like he’s a part of it in a way. Votto took Tyler Stephenson under his wing when they both were injured in 2022. Votto broke down film with Elly De La Cruz. He helped TJ Friedl become a better game planner. Will Benson said that Votto saved his career with advice that the veteran gave him about hitting.

“If in the next stretch they have that championship experience and share that with the city, that’d be extra special,” Votto said. “That’s exactly what they deserve. I’ll be happy as a Red and someone who lived in the Cincinnati community. That’s exactly what they deserve. I’m looking forward to watching that from them.”

Votto said that he’ll start his training for the 2024 season on Monday. He spent most of the last two years rehabbing from shoulder surgery, and he believes that he can be an impact hitter in his 18th season in MLB.

Votto said that he wasn’t quite sure yet what he’d be looking for in free agency. He wants to play, have fun and see what he can do when he’s fully healthy. Now, he’ll likely chase those goals in a different uniform. 

“I’ve dedicated my entire life,” Votto said. “Every part of me is built around performing as well as I possibly can. I cannot –– heart, mind or body –– given more than I gave. That’s the best I could have done.”

“Maybe the game will say I’m done,” Votto added. “Maybe the league in general will say I’m done. But I want to say I’m done . . . I do wish I gave the Reds fans a better show. (In the last two years), I wished I performed better. I wished I gave them a more of a satisfying experience watching me play.”

While Votto intends to play in 2024, he said he doesn’t want a farewell tour. “That’s not my style,” Votto said. He also knows that he likely won’t receive a better farewell tour than the moment he has already experienced.

During the Reds’ final home game last season, Votto got a curtain call standing ovation after his final hit. In what ended up likely being his final moment as a Red, he thanked the home crowd that watched him grow up.

“It’s the best moment of my career without question,” Votto said. “In terms of my life goal of being a Major League player and being an excellent Major League player, that right there is certainly the best moment of my professional life, my aspirational life, my passion, my craft. That’s the very best moment of something I’ve given my entire life to.”