Ex-Reds' standouts enter free agency, but former Cincinnati flop stays with KC Royals

With the World Series now behind us, the Major League Baseball offseason is ready to commence. Though free agency won't officially begin until next week, some teams are already making decisions that will shape their roster for the 2025 season.

The Cincinnati Reds have some decisions to make in the coming days. Will the Reds pick up their club options for Brent Suter and Luke Maile, or will those two enter free agency like a pair of former Cincinnati standouts?

Ex-Reds' standouts, Kyle Farmer & Wade Miley, become free agents

The Minnesota Twins decided to part ways with former Reds shortstop Kyle Farmer. A fan-favorite in Cincinnati, Farmer was traded to Minnesota after the 2022 season. Farmer's mutual option for the 2025 season was declined and he's now a free agent. The veteran infielder had a down-year for the Twins, hitting just .214/.293/.353 with five home runs and 25 RBI in 107 games.

Joining Farmer on the free agent market will be former Reds pitcher Wade Miley. The lefty signed a two-year deal with Cincinnati in 2020 and tossed a no-hitter for the Reds in 2021. But after his second season, the Reds decided not to pick up Miley's club option for the 2022 season and he was plucked off waivers by the Chicago Cubs.

Miley inked a one-year, $8.5 million deal with the Milwaukee Brewers this past offseason. The southpaw's contract contained a $12 million mutual option for 2025 which the Brewers declined. Miley, who'll be 38 years old next season, made just two starts after spending most of the 2024 season on the IL after undergoing Tommy John surgery in early-May.

Former Reds' washout Hunter Renfroe re-ups with KC Royals

While both Farmer and Miley are now free agents after having their mutual options declined, former Reds' waiver wire acquisition Hunter Renfroe will return to the Kansas City Royals despite a brutal 2024 campaign.

Renfroe spent all of 14 games with the Reds in 2023 after being a late-season waiver claim from the Los Angeles Angels. During his brief Cincinnati tenure, Renfroe hit just .128/.227/.205. Things didn't fare much better this year in Kansas City. Renfroe posted a .229/.297/.392 slash line in 120 games for the Royals, and was eventually replaced in the lineup by another former Reds player, Tommy Pham.

But Renfroe signed a one-year, $6.5 million contract last offseason with a player option for 2025 worth $7.6 million. Correctly assuming that he won't get a better offer on the open market, Renfroe decided to stay put. These are the types of deals that can haunt a small market franchise, and the Reds will feel a similar sting when Emilio Pagán inevitably exercises his player option for next season despite posting a 4.50 ERA and appearing in only 38 games.

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