Pirates somehow let impact playoff reliever leave organization in 2024

As if watching the 2024 MLB playoffs from home wasn't already painful enough for the Pittsburgh Pirates, they now have the added sting of watching a pitcher they gave up on in the middle of the season take the mound for the National League West-champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS.

Brent Honeywell signed a minor-league deal with the Pirates in February and spent spring training with the club in Bradenton. He played a majority of the season with Triple-A Indianapolis and made two Major League appearances with the Pirates in July before being claimed off waivers by the Dodgers. Now, he's pitching in the postseason.

Honeywell's path to the playoffs this season has been far from direct. He pitched to a rather unimpressive 4.85 ERA across 39 innings of work with a 19.6% strikeout rate and a 10.1% walk rate in the Pirates' minor league system, but he still earned the brief call-up to Pittsburgh. He logged a 2.70 ERA in 3 1/3 innings for the Pirates, but was designated for assignment just a few days later.

The Dodgers picked Honeywell up off waivers in July, giving him another shot at the big-league level. They gave him 10 outings in low-leverage spots. He posted a 2.21 ERA through 20 1/3 innings before the Dodgers placed him on waivers when they promoted Ben Casparius.

Honeywell went unclaimed on waivers this time and accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A Oklahoma City. Two weeks later, the Dodgers selected his contract once again to take the active roster spot of injured right-hander Joe Kelly.

Former Pirates pitcher Brent Honeywell makes history with Dodgers in NLCS

Honeywell tossed three scoreless innings in the Dodgers’ 7-3 loss to the New York Mets in Game 2 of the NLCS Monday. He primarily relies upon six different pitches in his arsenal, including a screwball, which proved to be particularly effective against the Mets.

In fact, Honeywell became the first pitcher to throw that pitch in a postseason game during the pitch-tracking era in Monday's outing.

Of his 57 total pitches thrown, eight of them were screwballs. His nasty breaking pitch seemed to frustrate Mets batters, who were unable to put the ball in play any time he threw it.

The Dodgers, perpetually in need of arms, seem to have found unlocked something in Honeywell that the Pirates never could. Unfortunately, it's a storyline that's becoming all too familiar in Pittsburgh.

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