Dodgers News: Former Padre joins coaching staff, stadium renovations, Brent Honeywell

The Los Angeles Dodgers last week announced their minor league coaching staffs for 2025, including one surprising addition.

Former outfielder Zach Reks, who spent last season playing for the San Diego Padres' Double-A affiliate, has been hired as a hitting coach with the Dodgers' Arizona Complex League affiliate. Reks played in the big leagues with the Dodgers and the Texas Rangers from 2021-22, slashing a rather forgettable .205/.205/.227 across 22 games.

After spending the 2023 season in Korea with the Lotte Giants of the KBO, Reks inked a minor league contract with the Padres last year. Despite his .127 batting average over his final 64 games of Double-A action in 2024, he has a very respectable career slash line of .276/.372/.459 in nearly 1,800 minor league plate appearances.

Reks was selected by the Dodgers in the 10th round of the 2017 MLB Draft. Now, he will look to contribute to the organization that got him his start by helping develop their future hitters.

Dodgers provide exciting update on stadium renovations

The $100 million remodeling project that has spanned the entire offseason at Dodger Stadium has entered its final stages, reports Valentina Martinez of DodgersNation.com.

Most of the major renovations, including the new seats and the new field, have been completed. The expanded clubhouse areas remain unfinished at this time, but all renovations are expected to be done in time for the Dodgers to host the Los Angeles Angels in the annual Freeway Series on March 23.

Dodgers postseason cult hero Brent Honeywell speaks out after going unsigned in free agency

Brent Honeywell, the midseason waiver pickup who became known for his heroics as an innings-eater in the Dodgers' run to the World Series title, has yet to be signed by a Major League team heading into the 2025 season.

During a recent appearance on the "Baseball Isn't Boring" podcast, Honeywell revealed that the reason for his continued unemployment is that he is holding out for a Major League deal.

“I think a lot of people think they deserve a major league deal, but I thought I deserved a major league deal,” Honeywell said. “So I’ll wait. I’ve done it my whole life. It’ll all line itself up. It just gives me a little bit of time to work on something I haven’t had in a while. Maybe I come back with something new. It’s just like, I ain’t into working for free, man.”

The right-hander, who opened the 2024 season on a minor league contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates and had his contract selected in July, made an immediate impact in Los Angeles once he was claimed off waivers. Honeywell produced a 2.62 ERA across 34 1/3 innings in the regular season before going on to pitch 8 2/3 crucial innings for the Dodgers in the NLCS and World Series.

With no shortage of confidence and a World Series title under his belt, Honeywell will be as patient as he needs to be while waiting for his next big league opportunity.

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