Padres sign quirky former Dodgers World Series champion in unexpected reunion

The Padres have signed veteran right-hander Brent Honeywell Jr. to a minor league contract. Honeywell hasn’t appeared in an official game since pitching for the Dodgers during the 2024 World Series.

It’s a cheap late-season lottery ticket with a familiar face and a pitch that probably belongs in a museum. We’ve already watched Honeywell make this work in San Diego before. He appeared 36 times for the Padres in 2023, recording a 4.05 ERA with 42 strikeouts across 46 2/3 innings. He wasn’t lights out, but he gave the Padres solid innings during a season where very little went according to plan.

Padres know exactly what Brent Honeywell Jr. can provide

The Padres have really turned a corner over the past month and contenders burn through pitchers faster than anyone expects. Honeywell has experience working multiple innings, pitching on short notice and handling unglamorous assignments that keep higher-leverage arms available.

The Friars DFA’d him after loading up at the 2023 trade deadline. He then bounced from the White Sox to the Pirates and landed with the Dodgers in 2024. He produced a 2.63 ERA over 37 2/3 regular-season innings between Pittsburgh and Los Angeles, although his modest strikeout total made that performance difficult to completely trust.

The Dodgers still found a use for him. Honeywell absorbed the low leverage spots during their championship run, protecting the relievers they needed to finish the job. Now the Padres are checking whether that version of him still exists.

Honeywell’s signature screwball gives this reunion much more personality than the average minor league signing. Not many pitchers throw that pitch anymore. For Honeywell, the pitch is a family heirloom. His father learned it from former Cy Young winner Mike Marshall and passed it down. Honeywell carried it through his rise as one of baseball’s top pitching prospects, four elbow procedures and a career that has repeatedly looked finished.

That history makes him easy to root for. He didn’t pitch anywhere in 2025. The Giants signed him to a minor league contract in February 2026 and released him in March before he appeared in an official game. He now has to prove that his arm can handle competition again and that his unusual arsenal can still retire professional hitters.

A.J. Preller has always enjoyed collecting former top prospects with unusual skill sets and players with something left to prove. Honeywell checks every box. 

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