Buck Farmer ended the season as one of the Cincinnati Reds’ setup men in front of closer Alexis Díaz, and his contract situation could serve as a litmus test for how the club is planning to build its bullpen.
Farmer, called up on July 9 after he was designated for assignment earlier in the season, had a 2.83 ERA across the final three months of the season with 37 strikeouts and 18 walks in 35 innings. He stranded 15 of the 22 runners he inherited, often called upon to help the Reds out of high-leverage jams.
“For the year, I think it’s definitely been a big building block for me,” said Farmer, who spent the first eight seasons of his career with the Detroit Tigers. “I hope to be here next year. I think (the coaching staff) as a group put me in the spot to where I’ve gotten this year, so it’s been a big help being here.”
So, what makes the 31-year-old Farmer a litmus test?
Farmer is eligible for arbitration for the third time this winter. MLB Trade Rumors, which uses a model to project salaries for arbitration-eligible players, projected Farmer could command a $1.4 million salary, but that may be on the conservative side after he signed a one-year, $1.85 million deal to avoid arbitration with the Tigers ahead of the 2021 season.
As much as the money is a factor, the Reds would guarantee him a one-year contract by tendering him a salary too. The Reds had only two healthy relievers who were on the team all year: Díaz and Hunter Strickland.
On the other side of the financial considerations, Farmer was a key part of the bullpen in the final months of the season, albeit on a 100-loss season, and he credited pitching coach Derek Johnson, assistant pitching coach Eric Jagers and recently dismissed bullpen coach Lee Tunnell for helping him improve after a rough 2021 season.
“It’s just the approach to how I should pitch and with the stuff I have,” Farmer said of the coaching staff. “That’s been an invaluable asset to have them coming up to me, from day one, saying we think this is how you’re going to get more outs. It’s helped. Obviously, it’s proven to help.”
There are areas where Farmer needs to continue to improve to remain in a high-leverage role. He wants to improve his slider. He knows he needs to cut down on his walk rate. His strikeout rate and hit rate were career-best marks.
“I think (2021 in Detroit), maybe it was time to move on,” Farmer said. “I was searching for something and I don’t want to say anything negative, but I just didn’t feel like I had the help to get there. I don’t know if it was my time to move on, them just saying fight or flight, or whatever it may have been. I think last offseason, I was in a good spot with the people that helped me. Then being able to work with Jags, DJ and Lee for the majority part of the season has been huge.”
The Reds believe their bullpen is set up to have more success in 2023, but there are question marks. Díaz enters next season as the favorite to begin the season as a closer, but he needs to prove he can repeat his breakout year. Tejay Antone is recovering from his second Tommy John surgery. Lucas Sims and Tony Santillan are recovering from back injuries. Jeff Hoffman ended the season with an elbow injury and Art Warren is expected to miss the entire 2023 season with his elbow injury.
Farmer, Joel Kuhnel, Reiver Sanmartin, Ian Gibaut, Fernando Cruz and Derek Law formed the core of the bullpen, along with Strickland who will become a free agent, at the end of the season.
The Reds’ bullpen rated as the worst in MLB for the first half of the 2022 season via ERA (5.42) and FanGraphs’ wins above replacement (negative-0.7). The bullpen was improved after the All-Star break when roles were more established and there was more continuity, ranking 16th in ERA (3.85) and sixth in wins above replacement (2.8).
Some of the second-half success could be attributed to roles solidifying and starting pitchers going deeper into games. But it was also maximizing value from waiver claims and minor-league signings.
“That’s going to be us for a while,” Johnson, the pitching coach, said. “That’s just where we are organizationally. We recognize that. For us as a group, we have to do whatever we can to maximize what we have and what they bring to us. To see Buck do what he did, Ian come on board and pick up some good slack, Derek Law, they’re all guys that we’re just trying to help them do what they do. I thought they performed very well down the stretch.”
As the Reds turnover their 40-man roster throughout the offseason – three catchers were claimed off waivers last week – they have some decisions to make with their bullpen.