During the offseason, it appeared inevitable that the Cincinnati Reds and Buck Farmer would eventually agree on a one-year contract. The veteran right-hander had been a reliable presence for Cincinnati over the past three years, and his 2024 season was among the most impressive of his 11-year MLB career.
However, the two parties never finalized a deal, and Farmer ended up signing a minor-league contract—somewhat unexpectedly—with his hometown Atlanta Braves. A Georgia native, Farmer played college ball at Georgia Tech and was originally drafted by the Braves in 2009, though he chose to pursue college at the time.
Now, Farmer finds himself a free agent once more. The Braves released him this week following a rough stretch at Triple-A Gwinnett, where his ERA ballooned to 7.71 over five appearances. While he continued to show his trademark command with a strong 29.2% strikeout rate, control issues plagued him—walking nearly 17% of batters—and opponents hit a hefty .350 against him.
Braves release Buck Farmer, allowing Reds to reunite with the veteran reliever
Perhaps all Buck Farmer needs is a little guidance from his former pitching coach, Derek Johnson. While his minor league stats this season have been rough, it’s still very early, and the 34-year-old has previously proven himself as a reliable bullpen arm for the Reds. Nick Krall, the Reds’ President of Baseball Operations, should seriously consider calling him up and bringing him back to Cincinnati.
Much like the Braves did, the Reds could offer Farmer a minor league deal with one or two opt-out clauses, giving him the chance to get back on track in Triple-A Louisville. Back in 2022, Farmer also started slow and needed a stint in the minors to reset.
That year, after struggling with a 6.75 ERA over his first 10 appearances, the Reds sent him down. But after returning just before the All-Star break, he turned things around in a big way — posting a 2.83 ERA and racking up 37 strikeouts in 35 innings the rest of the season.
Given the current situation, bringing Farmer back seems like an easy decision. With promising arms like Zach Maxwell and Luis Mey at Triple-A and the experienced Bryan Shaw already there, Farmer’s presence would further bolster the Reds’ bullpen depth at the minor league level.
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