The reigning AL Central champion Minnesota Twins are not relinquishing their place atop the perch of their division without a fight. On Thursday, the Twins made a move that will help protect their infield depth for 2024, as they brought back veteran shortstop Kyle Farmer to a cost-friendly one-year deal with a mutual option for 2025.
According to Dan Hayes of The Athletic, Farmer will be making a base salary of $6.05 million next season, although he could make up to a total of $6.3 million if the Twins don’t pick up their end of the mutual option. Farmer’s option for 2025 is worth $6.25 million, with a $250,000 buyout.
This deal allows Kyle Farmer and the Twins to avoid arbitration altogether, as going to those contentious hearings runs the risk of sullying the relationship between ballclub and player. Farmer was set to go to his final year of arbitration; with the contract he signed with the Twins, Minnesota was also able to secure one free agent year of his, should both sides decide to pick up the option.
Coming off his best season as a professional, signing Farmer to a base salary of $6.05 million may have also saved the Twins a bit of money. The 33-year old shortstop made $5.59 million last season, so he was in line for a raise either way. But Minnesota may have saved a few cents by being proactive in negotiations with the veteran infielder.
Farmer won’t be in line for a starting job in Minnesota next season if the team’s main infield options are healthy. At shortstop, the Twins have Carlos Correa, at second base, they have Jorge Polanco, while Royce Lewis has made the Target Field hot corner his home.
But Correa is a major injury risk, and Lewis has an injury history as well. Securing Kyle Farmer’s services is a low-risk, low-cost depth move that gives the Twins a respectable player to cover for as many as five position on the diamond.
In 2023, Farmer put up a career-best 1.6 WAR (per Fangraphs) in only 120 games played (369 plate appearances). He hit 11 home runs and drove in 46 runs, slashing .256/.317/.408 while being a positive on defense.
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