Reds, Votto finalize record deal
NEW YORK — Joey Votto will be spending some of the quarter-billion dollars the Cincinnati Reds are giving him on his own comfort.
Cincinnati and the first baseman finalized their $251.5 million, 12-year contract Thursday, the longest guaranteed agreement in baseball history.
While the agreement gives the 2010 NL MVP a hotel suite on road trips, Votto must pay out of his pocket the difference in cost between the suite and a single room, according to contract terms obtained by The Associated Press.
The deal, announced April 4, adds $225 million over 10 years to his prior contract, which had been scheduled to expire after the 2013 season.
