Kyle Farmer was driving to Valdosta with his wife Courtney to see her family for Christmas when his phone rang. Andrew Friedman, president of the Los Angeles Dodgers, was on the other end.

“He said, 'Hey, you’ve been traded to the Reds,' and thanked me for everything I'd done for them,” said Farmer, the former star shortstop with Georgia. “It’s a business. I had a really good relationship with him, so it was weird talking with him in that manner.”

Farmer laughed in recalling Courtney's initial displeasure with the news. But she did trade texts with Sue Wood, wife of former Bulldog and Dodgers teammate Alex Wood. Her mood changed after learning that his former Georgia roommate was included in the December deal that also sent outfielders Matt Kemp and Yasiel Puig to Cincinnati.

“I told Courtney and she was a little bit upset, because she has all of her friends out in L.A. and she didn’t want to leave Sue, Wood’s wife,” Farmer said. “So, she texts Sue and says we got traded, and [Sue] texts back, saying, 'Oh my God, so did we!'” We were okay, thank goodness. We knew each other so that made it a lot better. I’m excited for the opportunity.”

Looking back Saturday before speaking at Georgia’s annual preseason baseball banquet, Farmer reflected on what it meant to remain with Wood after all those years as roommates at Georgia, along with Chance Veazey and Brett DeLoach. Both of whom were in attendance for the event.

“It’s ridiculous. I tell everybody you can’t split two Dawgs up,” Farmer said. “Alex has been a really big help for me, making my debut, helping me into the league. He takes care of me and takes care of Courtney, my wife, so being with him is definitely a plus.”

With Cincinnati pitchers and catchers set to report on Tuesday, Farmer is ready for the next chapter in his baseball life.

Veteran Tucker Barnhart is the starting catcher for the Reds, with former Vanderbilt standout Curt Casali—along with Farmer, the only catchers on the team’s 40-man roster. Farmer hopes his versatility as an infielder will help in his battle to make the Opening Day roster.

“We’ll see what they want me to do. I think they want me to catch and play infield, be a guy off the bench, and hopefully get some starts in,” Farmer said. “I just want to get some more playing time than I did with the Dodgers.”

Farmer certainly didn’t figure catcher would be his position when he began his journey in the pros.

The former high school quarterback was a shortstop during his days in Athens. But the moment he joined the Dodgers’ rookie ball team in Ogden, Utah, Farmer was asked to make the switch.

It was a move he’s never regretted making.

“I’ll do anything. I became a catcher right when I got started, and two years into it, I was able to play infield and be a utility guy,” Farmer said. “I was very thankful for that, because that led me to make my debut and make the opening day roster with the Dodgers last year. I play multiple positions, but I love catching, and that’s where I want to be.”

Having spent parts of each of the past two seasons with the Dodgers, Farmer’s already lived the dream of youngsters everywhere.

It was the bottom of the 11th inning in a mid-summer game against San Francisco. The Dodgers trailed by a run with two runners on base when Farmer—still without a big league at-bat—was summoned from the dugout as a pinch-hitter by manager Dave Roberts.

What happened next was the kind of storybook finish one reads about in fairy tales, as Farmer ripped a two-run double off Albert Suarez to give the Dodgers a 3-2 victory.

As Justin Turner crossed home plate with the winning run, teammates poured onto the field, led by Woods. They tackled Farmer, ripping off his jersey during the celebration.

“The crazy thing is, I step in the batter’s box, look back and there’s Buster Posey. Buster looks just like my roommate in college, Brett DeLoach. I look back and say, 'He looks like Brett right there.' But no, it’s Buster Posey. So, I lock back in, and worked the count to 3-2, get the base hit to right field. And it was pretty cool seeing all the white jerseys running at you, getting tackled to the ground. Gatorade, Sunday Night Baseball, being interviewed after the game—it was a cool way to break into the professional baseball world.”

“Hopefully, I won’t be remembered just for that, because I’m working on making some more.”