SF Giants reportedly add former Tampa Bay Rays top pitching prospect to minors pact

The SF Giants have reportedly added more pitching depth in the upper minors. According to Chris Cotillo of MassLive.Com, they are signing former Tampa Bay Rays top pitching prospect Brent Honeywell to a minor league deal.

SF Giants add former Tampa Bay Rays top pitching prospect to minors pact

Justice delos Santos of The Mercury News confirms that Honeywell's deal does not include a camp invite. This is a sign that the move is geared more toward supplementing the rosters in the upper minors, rather than giving him a shot to make the club.

Honeywell was originally a second-round pick by the Rays in the 2014 draft out of Walters State Community College in Morristown, Tennessee. For years, he was regarded as one of the best pitching prospects in baseball, ranking as high as No. 11 according to Baseball Prospectus before the 2018 season.

The right-handed pitcher has dealt with significant injury setbacks over the years. This includes undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2018. He has had several more elbow surgeries since then. When Honeywell took the mound for the Rays in April of 2021, it marked his first appearance on a pro mound in nearly four years.

Across eight minor league seasons, the righty pitcher has recorded a 3.40 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 9.3 K/9, and a 3.95 SO/W rate. He has appeared in parts of three major league seasons as well. Overall, he has pitched to a 4.10 ERA in 63 career major league outings.

This includes a solid 2024 campaign where he tallied a 2.63 ERA with 18 strikeouts and 11 walks in 37.2 frames split between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Los Angeles Dodgers. He received a World Series ring from the Dodgers while making a handful of playoff appearances.

Following the 2024 season, Honeywell was non-tendered by Los Angeles, thereby making him a free agent. He did not pitch at all in 2025.

On the mound, the 30-year-old hurler throws a mid-90's four-seamer fastball with a slider and a screwball. Despite all the injuries, he still maintains decent velocity. Interestingly, Honeywell was only one of two pitchers to throw a screwball in 2024. The other was Noah Davis of the Minnesota Twins.