Phillies: A case study of previous $200+million hitters

TAMPA, FL - MARCH 4: Alex Rodriguez #13 of the New York Yankees waits in the dugout before the start of a spring training game against the Philadelphia Phillies on March 4, 2015 at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Brian Blanco/Getty Images)
TAMPA, FL - MARCH 4: Alex Rodriguez #13 of the New York Yankees waits in the dugout before the start of a spring training game against the Philadelphia Phillies on March 4, 2015 at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Brian Blanco/Getty Images) /
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CINCINNATI, OH – SEPTEMBER 10: Joey Votto #19 of the Cincinnati Reds hits the ball in the first inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Great American Ball Park on September 10, 2018 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /

Joey Votto

Also in 2012, Joey Votto signed a contract extension in Cincinnati that will presumably lead up to the end of his career.

The contract: 10 years, $225 million

How it worked out: In his first year of the extension, Votto only played 62 games.

Since then, Votto has been worth the money. His lowest batting average came in 2018 when he hit .284. In the three years before that, Votto hit .314, .326 and .320.

His on-base percentage was .459 in 2015 and hasn’t been below .417 since. He’s hit 106 home runs and has 344 RBI since 2015.

He hasn’t been the most productive player in the league since signing the big contract, but he has been very consistent. He might not be worth the $225 million, but the Reds definitely aren’t wasting their money.