The San Francisco Giants are making a strategic move by signing former top pitching prospect Brent Honeywell Jr. to a minor league contract. This deal, reported by Chris Cotillo of MassLive, does not include an invite to spring training, as noted by Justice delos Santos of The Mercury News.
Honeywell, who will be 31 when the 2026 MLB season kicks off, has had quite the journey since being a second-round pick by the Tampa Bay Rays in 2014. His career has seen him don the uniforms of the Rays, Padres, White Sox, Pirates, and Dodgers, with his most recent MLB action coming in 2024.
Once touted as the No. 14 overall prospect by Baseball America and the top talent in the Rays' farm system after the 2017 season, Honeywell's path has been marred by injuries. He underwent Tommy John surgery in 2018, followed by an elbow fracture in 2019 that required nerve decompression surgery in 2020.
His struggles continued in 2022 with the Athletics, where a stress reaction in his elbow sidelined him for the season. However, Honeywell showed resilience with the Padres in 2023, pitching 46.2 innings and achieving a 2-4 record in 36 appearances.
In 2024, he split his time between the Pirates and Dodgers, delivering a solid performance with a 2.63 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP over 37.2 innings. After opting for free agency post-2024, Honeywell took a break from professional play in 2025.
Now, as he joins the Giants' organization, Honeywell has a chance to reignite his career. His journey is a testament to perseverance, and if he can recapture some of that early-career promise, the Giants might have found themselves a valuable asset. Fans will be eager to see how this next chapter unfolds for a player who has shown flashes of brilliance amidst adversity.