With the World Series over, the offseason can officially begin even if it unofficially started for the Minnesota Twins back at the end of September. The more cynical side of us would say that the offseason started even sooner than that, as the Twins showed absolutely zero fight down the stretch of a historic collapse.
Now comes the part where the team sifts through the wreckage of their season and chart a course to hopefully avoid another disaster next year. That process has already started with the Twins jettisoning two veterans that saw a fair amount of playing time last season.
Manuel Margot was released earlier this week when Minnesota decided, unsurprisingly, to decline the $12 million option on his contract. There was absolutely no way the Twins were going to pay Margot to return, let alone at that price point.
A similarly inevitable move was made with Kyle Farmer. Minnesota has reportedly decided to decline his mutual option as well, ending what was a terrible season for a player the Twins invested heavily in last offseason.
Twins decline mutual option to bring Kyle Farmer back for 2025 season
Farmer was arbitration-eligible last winter, and to the surprise of many the Twins brought him back on a hefty settlement. The surprise wasn’t that Farmer was back — he was a very productive utility player that helped power a playoff run — rather it was the price the team paid to make it happen.
Farmer made $6.3 million in 2024, which was the richest contract the team handed out last offseason. At the time it felt like a pretty big gamble and it ended up being one that didn’t pay off at all.
He played in 107 games and hit an abysmal .214/.293/.353 with five home runs, 13 doubles and 23 RBIs. Farmer also posted a career-worst -0.3 WAR and eventually played himself out of a regular rotation. Willi Castro had the type of season the Twins were hoping Farmer would have, but instead he sunk a $6 million hole in a budget that already had fans frustrated.
It’s not Farmer’s fault that the team overpaid to bring him back, as everyone was hoping we’d be sitting here saying the exact opposite in regards to how his contract aged. There’s a chance he comes back at a lower salary, as what he lacked in production Farmer made up for in being a core piece of the culture. By all accounts he’s perhaps the most well-liked player in the Twins’ clubhouse, which can’t be overlooked.
Given the poor season he had on the field, though, there’s no way an already frugal front office could justify bringing him back at the the cost of his mutual option.
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