Report: Votto agrees to 10-year, $225 million extension

Apr 3, 2012 - 6:09 AM Cincinnati, OH (Sports Network) - Add Joey Votto's name to baseball's elite $200 million-plus club.

According to USA Today, the Reds first baseman has agreed to a 10-year contract extension worth $225 million, vaulting himself into company with the likes of Albert Pujols, Prince Fielder and Alex Rodriguez.

Votto's new deal will reportedly execute upon the conclusion of his current contract, a three-year deal he signed in January 2011, and includes a no-trade clause, meaning he would stay in Cincinnati through the 2023 season.

Votto batted .309 with 29 home runs and 103 runs batted in last season, posting career-highs in doubles (40) and walks (110), and earned his first Gold Glove award to go with his second consecutive All-Star appearance.

If the report is accurate, Votto's deal would be the fourth-largest in professional sports history, behind two separate contracts signed by Rodriguez ($275 million over 10 years with the Yankees, and $252 million over 10 years with Texas) and Pujols recent handshake with the Angels (10 years, $254 million).

Fielder put pen to paper on a nine-year, $217 million contract -- now the fifth largest in history -- in January.

The 2010 National League Most Valuable Player has recorded a .313 batting average with 119 home runs and 401 RBI during his five-year MLB tenure, all with the Reds.