The Braves have signed right-hander Buck Farmer to a minor league deal. The Nati Sports X account was the first to report the news, and Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that Farmer will receive an invitation to the Braves’ big league spring camp.
Farmer was born in Conyers, Georgia and played his college ball at Georgia Tech, so the signing represents something of a homecoming for the veteran reliever. (Not to mention an early birthday present, as Farmer turns 34 on Thursday.). The Braves actually made Farmer a 46th-round pick in the 2009 draft but he elected to attend college instead, and his pro career didn’t officially begin until he was a fifth-round pick for the Tigers in 2013.
In terms of bottom-line results, his 2024 campaign was the best of his 11 big league seasons. Farmer posted a 3.04 ERA over 71 innings for the Reds, chewing up innings as a bullpen workhorse for the second consecutive year. His 3.94 SIERA was more reflective of his overall performance, as Farmer had an unimpressive 9.7% walk rate and roughly a league-average 23.4% strikeout rate, but he did a good job of limiting hard contact.
Since Opening Day 2018, Farmer has posted a 4.03 ERA, 23.5% strikeout rate, and 9.8% walk rate across 386 2/3 Major League inning with Detroit and Cincinnati. A rough 2021 season with the Tigers skewed those numbers upwards a bit, but it still represents some solid production and durability for Farmer, even if he lacked the standout secondary statistics to land a guaranteed contract.
Farmer is the latest in a long line of veteran non-roster invites battling for jobs in the Atlanta bullpen, and his track record could give him a bit of an edge within a busy competition. Jake Diekman, Chasen Shreve, Dylan Covey, Wander Suero, Jordan Weems, Enyel De Los Santos, and Enoli Paredes are also in camp on minor league contracts, not to mention the Braves’ in-house prospects and starter candidates who could be battling for relief work. The Braves had some holes to fill after losing several relievers in free agency, and Joe Jimenez to what might be a season-ending knee surgery.