Righty Brent Honeywell Jr. has agreed to a minor league deal with the Pirates, reports Jon Morosi of MLB.com (on X). He’ll get a non-roster invitation to big league camp and will be paid at a $1.25MM rate if he cracks the MLB roster.
A former top prospect with the Rays, Honeywell logged his first extended MLB action at age 28 last season. He inked a major league contract with the Padres over the offseason. Honeywell broke camp with San Diego and held a roster spot until the trade deadline. He logged 46 2/3 innings through 36 appearances, working to a 4.05 ERA. That came with a modest 20.6% strikeout rate and an unspectacular 9.8% walk percentage.
San Diego’s deadline pickups squeezed Honeywell off the 40-man roster. The Friars lost him via waivers to the White Sox. He pitched four times with Chicago, was tagged for seven runs in 5 2/3 innings, and was cut loose. Honeywell cleared waivers after his second designation and finished the year in Triple-A. He chose minor league free agency at season’s end.
A horrible series of injuries — a 2018 Tommy John procedure, ’19 elbow fracture, 2020 nerve decompression surgery and another elbow fracture in 2022 — sidetracked Honeywell in his climb through the minors. While he didn’t turn in great results as a rookie, there’s surely some relief that he made it through the ’23 campaign without any trips to the injured list. He’ll try to crack the middle relief group in Pittsburgh to establish himself at the MLB level.
The Bucs have David Bednar, Aroldis Chapman, Colin Holderman, Ryan Borucki, Carmen Mlodzinski, Dauri Moreta and the out-of-options Roansy Contreras as strong bets to open the season in the bullpen. There might not be a ton of room in the season-opening group, but the Bucs will want to build their minor league depth. Ben Heller, Hunter Stratton and swingman Wily Peralta are also in camp as non-roster invitees. Honeywell is out of options, meaning the Pirates would have to keep him in the majors or DFA him if he earns a big league look at any point.
Forever rooting for him just because of the injuries.
Last of the screwballers (if he still throws it).
Theman3 ask. Nutting Cherington deliver.
Cherington said he would add a starter, this is hardly that pitcher
Cheringtons lips move a lot but he never says much. Usually not anything. Love to see link to this clip. I can see him saying we are looking into adding a starter. Or we would like to. But him saying we are going to add a another starter would be the first definitive thing I ever heard him say. And if so he will say we see this guy as a starter.
I asked that both Nutting and Cherington to fullfill their promises of another starting pitcher not a reliever to a minor league contract
An aside to my friend, TheMan3. By now I’m sure you’ve read about the huge sports streaming conglomerate being formed by Warner, FOX and Disney. As I said a year ago, as if insane owner profits, millionaire pro and now college salaries and legal sports betting weren’t enough to kill the idea of being a fan, this will be the cake topper. And as if you’re cable bill wasn’t already ridiculous, just wait for the streaming platform package prices coming our way
It’s a sick joke emblematic of the world’s priorities being seriously, uh, screwed
Time to spend summer evenings watching kids play kids games with the passion that is sorely lacking in pro and college these days
I’m a dinosaur, but where does it end?
You broke the news to me. If you switch cable companies every year it’s not too bad. $100 and change a month. If you watch sports and don’t want to pirate it’s a good deal. If you don’t switch every year and are paying 200 plus you should start switching every year. I never had cable. Even my parents cut the cord 5 to 10 years ago as they don’t watch sports and there’s hardly any cable exclusive shows nowadays. I only watch baseball so not hard for me. It’s not more expensive. Probably won’t go up much. Pain to keep track of where the game can be found and having to sign up for all these things. And I hate apple. Had nightmare cancelling a free trial from them.
You are wasting your life watching sports news any tv show movie. I do it though not nearly as much and most do. If prices would go to high I would just start doing free or cheap things that are more enjoyable and beneficial. Hiking biking martial arts yoga watching sunset star gazing gardening swimming mediation reading or listening to book podcast play video games paint wood metal work improve your home guns archery board games cook barbecue sit by fire and drink with friends exploring become a YouTube creator ham radio (not that cheap) fly drones rc cars boats planes explore old houses buildings wild foraging fishing. All more fulfilling and things most would wish they done when near death thinking they watched these athletes and Kardashians live their life while they wasted there’s.
Agree completely with your thinking. And yes, Dream, I remember now our previous conversations
Many, many different things a person can do rather than sit glued to the TV screen but of course, everyone has different circumstances.
This particular deal was a theory in the wind for some time. Now that it’s come to fruition, it essentially means that the ability to watch a plethora of games from any sport will now mean purchasing this streaming package and adding to the TV bill
You’re right. It’s all a waste of time and money
I still watch plenty of tv. You can’t exercise all day long. I body build and active person so always eating. What else am I going to do when I eat. I watch tv. Lots of educational how to stuff on YouTube though. Will still watch the handful of shows and movies that are good. But one of my regrets is just watching tv without doing anything else. Now it’s eating or background noise. Mlbtr is a waste of time too. At least it’s interaction with others. I try to limit it to when riding in cars planes. It serves as a magazine newspaper replacement in bathroom. And it’s the ultimate threesome eating mlbtr with tv in background. I eliminated tv by itself. Feel much better multitasking.
Yeah, I like your mindset here. You’re not quite the dinosaur yet and as such, let me just say that I hope you maintain this thinking as you approach your “golden years”
I’m not quite there yet but can say as a retiree, well, it’s hard to entertain one’s self night after night without the TV.
Only so much working out you can do during the day. Only so much you can read. Only so many projects one can get around to until finally being finished.
But your point is accurate. Paring down the cable options is the way to go
Harder for senior citizens. Not working means more time to kill. Not as many new hobbies left.
Hard to cut out tv. It’s cheap and easy. Sit down and watch. And I do. I just try to limit it as much as possible. I don’t do social media which takes up most people’s time.
A lot of my tv time is finding a new hobby and researching it. Or educational stuff.
Good talk. Need any help finding a hobby hit me up. If you done anything fun I didn’t mention let me know. I also like auctions flea markets etc. Art shows. Museums. Some things I used to do a d stopped I will go back to for a bit. Things I never gave much a try is stamp collecting, trains. No sports cards since I was kid. I have done crypto and nft but only for $.
I suppose I am considered a senior citizen at 68 years old and I am not without health problems.
It’s winter so any projects outside are limited due to temperatures so other than cleaning the house, laundry and taking my dog for his endless walks, I probably watch too much television
But come spring and summer, I will spend most of my time in my vegetable garden and caring for my property
My garden is fenced in, measuring 28’x32’ so weeding, fertilizing and watering the plants are time intensive
Cardboard. Less watering and weeds. Winters aren’t what they used to be. Lots of indoor hobbies. TV is great though. Free to cheap and easy. It’s what most people do. Their 2nd hobby is smart phone. I try every day to limit it but can’t eliminate it.
I was taken aback by a discussion on a Yankees article thread recently where a fan derided “boomer” fans for constantly looking at financial aspects i.e. salaries, owner profit margins and the like. Ticket prices, concessions and rising cable/stream rates would fall under that heading, I’m sure. “Boomer concerns”
Guess it gave me clarity as to why 75% of the populace has no savings and lives paycheck to paycheck while they carry over $10K debt on their credit cards
Pro leagues, the NCAA (Pitino stating college athletes should get paid but have a salary cap is a real laugh), TV services and the advent of sports books being aligned with all of the above have killed any allegiance or enjoyment beyond simply “loving the game itself”
Great for these entities to understand and capitalize that apparently only the boomer generation seems to see the greed and depravity in all of this. Dear God, what lemmings
Anyone who believes there is some integrity and sanctity of athletics in this cesspool must be either a millionaire or a gullible fool
I watch less sports on TV than ever
You guys are right. There are more worthwhile endeavors than being a zombie in front of the TV, having great concern over the outcome of a game
Sorry. End of rant
your rants are always a welcome read Tiredolddude
I inherited my father’s love of gardening and his green thumb
Watching and caring for a germinated seed grow into a delicious vegetable is very rewarding
Zucchini, plum tomatoes, bush beans, cayenne peppers, cabbage and brussel sprouts
Then I transplant one of the cayenne pepper plants into a pot that continues to produce fruit during the winter inside my indoor greenhouse
I’ve become a handyman post retirement thanks to YouTube, as Dream notes. Gardening and landscaping are next on my agenda. I envy your green thumb. I’m looking forward to learning and heading to the local ball fields to watch the kids play
Beats the alternative
Ok boomer
Let me guess. You’d call this an A+ signing
I had hopes this franchise was going in the right direction but this off season has been a return to the Huntington era.
C. Minor league depth that’s cheap. Perez Gonzales are already good. Just need to be healthy. This guy isn’t good. Needs much improvement. Maybe pirates see something they can fix. He has a above average ground ball rate. Maybe he has been throwing 4 seamers and they will go 2 seamer heavy. Maybe too many fastballs and they will go breaking ball heavy. Or Oscar teaches him some control and he is above average. As is he is useful enough depth if needed. They probably have a plan to make him better. See if it works.
Guy is a AA & a half player. With that said, he actually did pitch to his actual ERA in comparison to his FRA.
2023 ERA: 4.82
2023 FRA: 4.84
Two major problems for him are the exit velocity is too high (90.9 in 2023 vs. league average of 88.4). and his weak K-BB% of 8.9%. Needs more control.
All the best in trying get over those humps.
Honey!
More there than the injuries, which were plenty enough. Find a way.
Honeywell will always have fans.
What’s going on? We don’t sign Sanchez, no trades, no legit starter picked up! Ben quit setting on your a…… and do something! Stupid!
Milwaukee gave Sanchez $7 million for one year. Cherington wasn’t about to spend that much on a catcher when it’s more important to spend $1.25 million for a minor league pitcher
But if I had to guess, Nutting has BC on a shoestring budget now that ST will begin in less than a week
If they do bring in another starter, it will be by the DFA route and as I expected, they will have more excuses if the Bucs aren’t competitive this year
Why do people act like Martin Perez and Marco Gonzales aren’t legit starters? Are they aces? No. Are they established MLB arms? Yes. Do they still need at least one more SP? Yes. But to say they’ve done nothing is just wrong.
I do agree with you and wonder if the young arms are a lot closer than everyone thinks. Maybe BC has 1-2 of them ( Jones, Skenes ) or both, making it out of camp or at least coming up in late May??? If that’s the case then they shouldn’t sign a high contract pitcher. Keep Triolo as a solid utility but look at M Taylor as a GG OF and bat. Go Buccos
Who said they aren’t legitimate starters? The fact is, both Nutting and Cherington are on record as saying they would be adding another starter for the upcoming season and they haven’t
Both also said not 2 weeks ago that they were only half way through signing and/or trading for another outfielder and starter
ST starts next Wednesday and it doesn’t appear they will be doing either
Other legitimate starters are out of their price range so as I previously said, our additional starter will come from the waiver wire
Ben < Neil not even close and that was a lower bar
Typical Pirate offseason. They talk the game, but never do anything substantial. Free agents they sign are 1-year deals that will be traded at the deadline for average prospects. That way they only have to pay half their salaries. They have the prospects to trade for a front-line controllable starter, but they won’t. They’ll settle for a reclamation project.
In general I agree but this deal doesn’t fit that. its a minors contract with a roster bonus if he makes the MLB. I wouldn’t even consider this a reclamation projects.
They have two prospects that will likely be top half starters by the end of the year and a bunch of other pitchers of which they should be able to get a few decent back end starters.
I agree with you and was more referring to the Noah Syndergaard types.
there’s an article in today’s Trib describing how disappointing this offseason has become, the lack of free agents and of course Cherington saying that they need to improve
And by other articles, payroll will be in the neighborhood of $80 million, a $7 million increase from last year
Many baseball analysts are predicting the Bucs to finish last in the central division
great deal. Minors non-roster with an invite. almost no risk
Getting that high of a ceiling on a minors, non-roster signing is crazy good
They still need a splash signing primarily at first or starting pitching to boost moral. maybe go for Trout hahaha IMO anyone not named Skenes or Jones from the prospects should be available for the right trade.
Termarr gotta be off limits too unless the Pirates are getting someone like Eury Perez with a ton of team control.
Exactly. he should be available if you are getting an someone good with some control at a position of need. Starting pitching, 1b or OF.
He isn’t an elite prospect, just a very good one and won’t be a regular for two or three years and the team has quite a few middle infield prospects who could be all-star caliber if they get near their ceiling. O’neal, Nick and Jared for example.
Skenes and Jones for sure not touchable. I’d say Solometo is also close to totally unavailable.
Termarr want to keep but if you get offered an All-Star caliber with 3 years of control with Termarr being the headline back you don’t say no right away.
I dunno, Joe. Dream can chime in and correct me but while I agree that Skenes is a keeper, I kind of see more upside in Chandler than I do Jones. And while most would likely agree with you about Solometo, he tends to remind me of Locke, the lefty they had a decade or so ago.
As for Termarr, yeah, I like his power but I’d hope for more out of a top pick. He has some way to go before he’s untouchable
I tend to think that 90% of the players in this franchise if not more should be available at the right price. There are no Barry Bondses coming over the hill to save the day
I like Bubba he is probably another year or two out compared to the others. If you are making a trade of higher value, given skenes and Jones are off the table and Solometo has a quicker timeline that leave Termarr and Bubba as the bigger pieces you can offer as far as prospects.
Don’t get me wrong I don’t really want to let any of them go but if you are trade theory crafting they make the most sense to me if you are getting something that can help the MLB team now and preferably the next couple years.
We’ll find out a lot about Bubba this season. He won’t be able to overpower a majority of an AA lineup, he’ll have to learn the craft of pitching.
He’s certainly a year or two out (and this coming from someone who watched one of his better Greenboro outings in person); you can see him nitpicking and struggling with location, then he finally just rears back and blows a 4-seamer past the guy over the heart of the plate. Most A-ball guys can’t hit that pitch no matter where it is, plenty of AA guys can hit anything over the middle, regardless of velocity.
My prediction for Bubba is that you’re going to see him start off with a few reasonable starts, then he’ll be shelled from late May to June with lots of BBs. He may not be able to completely right the ship before the end of the AA season, and might end up starting there again next season.
This year is going to be interesting as I am going to be looking for a new team to follow.
Just frustrating being a pirates fan
Should have added Sanchez at catcher and Taylor to play so centerfield. Should be adding a number three starter but we get nothing
Got Nutting
yeah
go nutting. go count your profits
Adding Sanchez would be admitting that Davis has no future as an MLB catcher (which may be true, but two innings is hardly enough to learn that).
I don’t get the obsession with Taylor. Plus defensive numbers, less power than Jack and could easily keep pace with Suwinski in whiffs. He’ll be 33 before the season starts, and doesn’t have a stellar record in terms of staying healthy. With question marks on offense at 1B, 2B and RF, we’d also be adding a guy we know doesn’t make a ton of contact and doesn’t hit a lot of HRs (especially not at PNC). If you want something on that order, just commit to Bae in CF — he’ll strike out less and make more contact with a similar power profile, and he’s younger & faster than Taylor.
And as far as the starter, my guess is that they’ve tried and the ask was too high, even for a mediocre guy. The free agents who slot in as #3s have priced themselves as #1s and #2s PLUS term, very few older and established pitchers who get multi-year contracts ever live up to the contract value, unless you like paying guys to sit on the IL.
Short term, you’re right, though, it’s frustrating. The division is there for the taking with Burnes gone, the Cubs being the Cubs, the Reds with 22 infielders and a trash bullpen, and the Cards trying to get an AARP discount on their payroll. If this team were 100% solid at 6 or 7 positions, with the bullpen they have now — do whatever it takes to afford someone like Snell. We both know they’re not there. They’re solid at 2 positions (LF and 3B), have some promise at SS, and unproven/inconsistent commodities all over the rest diamond.
Sad. This guy was really, really good.
Like to see another starter but who? I haven’t forgotten Priester’s 5 no no game. 6 innings 0 runs 11 k’s. Love to see him step up. He used the sinker alot in that game. Very good pitch for him.
Rummage sale pickup
I’m 68 and have been a bucco fan since 1965.
Now I understand that today’s starting pitchers only go 5 or 6 innings. Reasons are the money they make and owners wanting to protect their interests. Too many Tommy John surgeries.
The days of the 300 inning pitchers are history. 20 game winners extinct. We will never see a 300 win pitcher or even a 200.
I did a little research and popped up bob veales stats. For 4 years from 1964 to 1968 he was one of baseballs top pitchers. And he didn’t reach the majors till age 26.
I remember a game that he pitched against st Louis. Brock was batting. Hot, humid and light rain. Big bobs glasses kept fogging up and Brock refused to get back in the box till he got a new set of glasses.
Childhood memories are great.
and Bob Veale holds the franchise record in strikeouts for a season with 276. A very underrated pitcher during his tenure with the Bucs
If you dove into youth baseball these days, you’d understand this even better. Back in the day, we threw till our arms fell off, only they didn’t fall off. I was the BP pitcher for my high school and threw EVERY day to everyone on the team, probably upwards of 500 mid-speed pitches each week and my arm was NEVER sore.
Kids now are on strict pitch counts and required rest, and encouraged by winning-obsessed coaches to let it fly with every ounce of effort on every pitch — yes, I’ve heard a coach tell a kid “you’ve only got 25 pitches tonight, so don’t leave anything in the tank”. I rarely, if ever, pitched with all of my might, I left that little extra in there to have something to show a tough batter. No one coaches that stuff, no one explains that a kid’s velocity is not when he’s straining everything he has to throw a ball, it’s what you can throw in an easy and sustainable way.
Your kind of baseball is gone, replaced by science types and statheads who invent some statistic to prove a point about something (pitches thrown for a strike when there’s an easterly wind over 6 mph on Saturdays in May), have one person that’s successful with that, and the rest of the geniuses try to copy it. Even if a guy could pitch 300 innings with ease, teams would never allow it because some sports guru studied 4 guys (who all happened to have poor mechanics and pitching habits) and decided no pitcher should ever through more than 250 because they’re guaranteed to have TJ surgery.
Very underrated. Too bad he started his career later in his life. Who knows the outcome