As a week of roster housekeeping wraps up with the non-tender deadline passing, teams across baseball are now turning their attention to free agency. The host stove is heating up, and the arrival of the Winter Meetings in a few weeks will likely kickstart plenty of action.
Some teams are already getting a head start. The Minnesota Twins tendered every single eligible player before the deadline on Friday, a move that is expected to account for around $30 million of an anemic $130 million payroll next season.
Only three players have actually agreed to new deals, with big names like Royce Lewis, Joe Ryan, and Willi Castro needing to be taken care of before January. The roster wheels had already been starting to turn in Minnesota going back to October when the team began its offseason by releasing both Manuel Margot and Kyle Farmer -- the latter of whom has already found work.
Kyle Farmer lands on his feet and will try to bounce back with the Rockies
According to FanSided's MLB insider Robert Murray, Farmer and the Colorado Rockies are reportedly close to agreeing to a deal.
Free-agent infielder Kyle Farmer and the Colorado Rockies are close to an agreement, according to sources familiar with the situation.
— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) November 23, 2024
Farmer was a massive disappointment last season, and unwittingly became the poster child for what went wrong. He was tendered and given a $6 million contract last offseason, a deal that essentially became the Twins' big free agent signing and was an example of the team leaning too heavily on running things back exactly as they were rather than going outside the clubhouse to make additions.
While he was abysmal on the field hitting .214/.293/.353 with a -0.3 WAR and a stretch over the summer where he was truly unplayable, Farmer was beloved in Minnesota's clubhouse. He was the father of the infamous Rally Sausage and how well respected he was among coaches and teammates is likely a big reason why he wasn't DFA'd last year.
That's what the Rockies are getting, in addition to a guy capable of being a valuable utility player who can add a spark. We saw some of the vintage Farm Dog magic late in the season and we will always have his big game in the ALDS a year ago as a lasting memory.
Kyle Farmer will always have a spot in #MNTwins history for this moment: pic.twitter.com/EKKYUXFvHV
— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) November 23, 2024
Farmer's failure to live up to his notable contract last year falls on him as much as it does the team for handing it out, as he amounted to a $6 million personality hire when the Twins needed more. Hopefully he can tap back into what led Minnesota to giving him that money in Colorado, as Farmer has the capability of being a meaningful piece of the lineup and Twins fans will be pulling for him even if he's now wearing a Rockies uniform.
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