Cincinnati Reds' Joey Votto : 'Something needs to start changing'
Joey Votto
CLOSE Each year   Joey Votto 's first interview with the local press becomes a State of the Cincinnati Reds discussion. Wochit
Cincinnati Reds first basemen  Joey Votto  autographs memorabilia at Redsfest at the Duke Energy Convention Center in downtown Cincinnati Friday  December 1  2017. (Photo: The Enquirer/Meg Vogel)
GOODYEAR  Ariz. - Each year   Joey Votto  always makes  his  first appearance at camp the day position players are required to report. Each year   his  first interview with the local press becomes a State of the Cincinnati Reds discussion.
âI tried to get fatter â  Votto  said. âI succeeded at that  apparently. We did all the testing and I am fatter.â
The joke out of the way â two years ago   Votto  joked  he  practiced walking more over the winter â the topic shifted to what growth the Reds had or hadnât made over the offseason. Cincinnati has lost at least 90 games each of the past three years as part of a designed rebuild  but the front office has expressed optimism about improvement in 2018.
 Votto  has voiced patience with the rebuild in the past  but Sunday signaled a more urgent desire to start the clock on winning.
âI think weâre starting to get to the point where people are starting to get tired of this stretch of ball â  Votto  said. âI think something needs to start changing and start going in a different direction. Iâm going to do my part to help make that change.â
Barring any stunning spring training additions  that change will have to be engineered by the same players the Reds had a year ago. Cincinnati made a couple of small signings to bolster the bullpen  but mostly is counting upon in-house improvement and good health. Not that  Votto  is so much opposed to such a tack.
While the Milwaukee Brewers surprised a year ago and then splurged this winter to add Lorenzo Cain and Christian Yelich   Votto  said the Reds were right to play it safe.  He  used former Reds shortstop Zack Cozart as an example.
âI think at some point weâll do something similar to that â  Votto  said. âI canât speak for the business side of things  but everything theyâve ever said is  âWe have the money and weâll make that sort of thing happen.ââ
Still   Votto  wants to see the type of internal improvement that validates the rebuild.  He  doesnât want to be on a surprise team â âI donât know if some of the teams that surprised last year  and Iâm not going to name any teams  if theyâre really  really confident â  he  said â but wants to be on a team that just plain knows it will win.
 He  sees that when  he  looks at the Houston Astros or the Chicago Cubs or the Washington Nationals  all teams benefiting from a few down years and the high draft picks that accompany them. They all made the turn toward contention. The 2018 season will be the test to see if the Reds can do the same.
CLOSE Each year    [TGT]  first interview with the local press becomes a State of the Cincinnati Reds discussion. Wochit
Cincinnati Reds first basemen   [TGT] autographs memorabilia at Redsfest at the Duke Energy Convention Center in downtown Cincinnati Friday  December 1  2017. (Photo: The Enquirer/Meg Vogel)
GOODYEAR  Ariz. - Each year    [TGT] always makes   [TGT]   first appearance at camp the day position players are required to report. Each year    [TGT]   first interview with the local press becomes a State of the Cincinnati Reds discussion.
âI tried to get fatter â   [TGT] said. âI succeeded at that  apparently. We did all the testing and I am fatter.â
The joke out of the way â two years ago    [TGT] joked   [TGT]   practiced walking more over the winter â the topic shifted to what growth the Reds had or hadnât made over the offseason. Cincinnati has lost at least 90 games each of the past three years as part of a designed rebuild  but the front office has expressed optimism about improvement in 2018.
  [TGT] has voiced patience with the rebuild in the past  but Sunday signaled a more urgent desire to start the clock on winning.
âI think weâre starting to get to the point where people are starting to get tired of this stretch of ball â   [TGT] said. âI think something needs to start changing and start going in a different direction. Iâm going to do my part to help make that change.â
Barring any stunning spring training additions  that change will have to be engineered by the same players the Reds had a year ago. Cincinnati made a couple of small signings to bolster the bullpen  but mostly is counting upon in-house improvement and good health. Not that   [TGT] is so much opposed to such a tack.
While the Milwaukee Brewers surprised a year ago and then splurged this winter to add Lorenzo Cain and Christian Yelich   Votto  said the Reds were right to play it safe.  He  used former Reds shortstop Zack Cozart as an example.
âI think at some point weâll do something similar to that â   [TGT] said. âI canât speak for the business side of things  but everything theyâve ever said is  âWe have the money and weâll make that sort of thing happen.ââ
Still    [TGT] wants to see the type of internal improvement that validates the rebuild.  He  doesnât want to be on a surprise team â âI donât know if some of the teams that surprised last year  and Iâm not going to name any teams  if theyâre really  really confident â  he  said â but wants to be on a team that just plain knows it will win.
 He  sees that when  he  looks at the Houston Astros or the Chicago Cubs or the Washington Nationals  all teams benefiting from a few down years and the high draft picks that accompany them. They all made the turn toward contention. The 2018 season will be the test to see if the Reds can do the same.