The Cincinnati Reds re-signed relief pitcher Buck Farmer to a one-year deal worth $2.25 million on Thursday and designated outfielder Bubba Thompson for assignment in a corresponding move. The 32-year-old right-hander has been a middle reliever for the Reds each of the past two seasons and has posted a combined 4.06 ERA (4.00 FIP) and 1.21 WHIP with five saves, 54 walks and 124 strikeouts over 115 appearances out of the bullpen covering 122 innings. At best, Farmer will be a setup man in front of late-inning arms Alexis Diaz, Emilio Pagan and Lucas Sims, which gives him very minimal fantasy appeal, even in the deepest of leagues. In his 10 years in the big leagues, Farmer has a career 4.98 ERA (4.76 FIP), 1.43 WHIP and 21.4 percent strikeout rate in 356 outings (21 starts) with the Reds and Detroit Tigers.
Buck Farmer Closes Out Wednesday's Game For First Save
Cincinnati Reds right-hander Buck Farmer threw a clean ninth inning on Wednesday to close out the 5-4 win over the Boston Red Sox. He allowed no baserunners and struck out, earning his first save of 2023. The 32-year-old veteran is putting up solid numbers with a 2.60 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, and 23.8% strikeout rate over 27.2 innings. Alexis Diaz pitched in three of the last four days before Wednesday, so it makes sense he got the night off. Fantasy manager can't assume Farmer will record many saves moving forward, so he's mostly irrelevant in any format unless he can start adding to his two holds.
The Cincinnati Reds avoided salary arbitration with right-handed reliever Buck Farmer by agreeing to a one-year, $1.75 million deal. In his first year with the Reds in 2022, Farmer finished with a 3.83 ERA (3.03 FIP), a 1.29 WHIP, five holds, his first two career saves and 54 strikeouts in 47 innings over 44 relief appearances. He was much better after being called up for the second time in early July, closing out the year with a 2.83 ERA in 35 innings pitched. The 31-year-old will return for his second season in Cincinnati in 2023, but he isn't at all on the fantasy radar.
Detroit Tigers pitcher Buck Farmer could be a useful man this year for manager A.J. Hinch. The 30-year-old pitcher will see time in various roles this year and could be a source of wins, saves, and holds if the plan stays true. Last season, Farmer provided a 3.80 ERA in 23 games. Over the past three seasons, he hasn't recorded a save but he has 10 wins and 29 holds. The majority of save opportunities will likely go to Bryan Garcia and Gregory Soto. Farmer also may not be a great source of strikeouts. Never an elite option for whiffs, he saw a 2 mph drop on his fastball in 2020 and his strikeout rate dropped below 16%.
Detroit Tigers relief pitcher Buck Farmer will make the start on Sunday against the Twins. The left-hander has appeared in 52 games for the Tigers this year, but all 52 outings came out of the bullpen. That means this is a bullpen game for the Tigers, and Farmer is unlikely to go more than a few innings. You can avoid him in all formats.
After two strong outings after being called up from Triple-A Toledo, Detroit Tiger starting pitcher Buck Farmer turned in two poor ones. The result was a demotion back to the minors. Farmer allowed 13 runs in just 4 and 2/3 innings over his two most recent starts for the Tigers, which simply isn't good enough to hang around in the big leagues. Farmer looked like an intriguing fantasy streamer after his first two starts resulted in 13 scoreless innings, but the wheels clearly fell off in a hurry. Anibal Sanchez will be Detroit's fifth starter for now, but there's a good chance that won't last long.
The Detroit Tigers have called up starting pitcher Buck Farmer from Triple-A Toledo to make a spot start in Wednesday's game against the Angels. Farmer started one other game for Detroit earlier this season, shutting down the White Sox through 6 1/3 scoreless innings while fanning 11 batters. The Tigers sent pitcher Blaine Hardy to Toledo to make room for Farmer. It's not likely that Farmer will be sticking around too long, so he's not a recommended add for fantasy purposes, but he may be a successful streamer yet again against a punchless Angels lineup.
Detroit Tigers pitcher Buck Farmer will be called up to start the first game of Friday's doubleheader against the White Sox. Farmer will be the Tigers' 26th man, so he will get the start and then will be sent back to Triple-A Toledo. The nightcap will be started by left-hander Matt Boyd. Farmer is winless with a 9.68 ERA in eight career big league starts and would be a good pitcher to stack against in the 5:05 pm CT start in Chicago. Picking up Farmer to stream would not be a good idea, as he has a 4.12 ERA for Toledo this season.