The Atlanta Braves’ offseason hasn’t necessarily gone according to plan, but they’re doing their best to adapt to the situations that arise.
Since the Braves learned in mid-January that shortstop Ha-Seong Kim would miss significant time due to finger surgery, they’ve attempted to build up their safeguards. They already had versatile utility man Mauricio Dubón from a November trade with the Houston Astros, and they signed speedster Jorge Mateo to a one-year contract just days after Kim’s surgery was announced.
On Friday, the Braves appear to be adding one more name to the mix. According to a report from Mark Bowman of MLB.com, the Braves have agreed to a minor-league deal and non-roster invite to spring training with nine-year veteran infielder Kyle Farmer, who most recently played 97 games for the Colorado Rockies last season.
“The Braves added Marist and (University of Georgia) product Kyle Farmer to their list of (non-roster invites),” Bowman wrote on X. “Seems to be a good fit for an Opening Day roster spot. Dubón will move from (shortstop) to (left field) on nights when (Mike Yastrzemski) is pinch-hit for against (lefties). Mateo and Farmer would be backup (infield) options.”
Farmer, 35, had played over 100 games every season since 2021 until last year, when he just missed that mark. He’s had some reasonably productive seasons, but he’s come in with negative bWAR in each of the last two seasons, including negative-0.8 for Colorado last year.
Though an offensive haven, Coors Field isn’t built well for Farmer’s offensive approach, as he typically derives a bit of his value from hitting the occasional home run. He hit at least 11 each season from 2021 to 2023 with the Cincinnati Reds. Last year, he hit eight long balls and had a 71 OPS+, the worst of any season of his career with at least 50 games played.
Because he can play any infield position at a moment’s notice, Farmer is a piece worth having in the organization as long as there’s uncertainty surrounding shortstop. But Atlanta also likely knows not to expect too much from the veteran in the batter’s box.
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