Postseason hero might’ve hinted at reunion with Dodgers on Instagram

A player rarely gets flowers for being objectively bad in the postseason, but Brent Honeywell Jr. was a rare exception for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2024.

Honeywell, whom the Dodgers picked up off of waivers from the Pirates in July, might not have made any of the postseason rosters if it weren't for Alex Vesia being injured, but he had a nice second half out of the bullpen in LA, carrying a 2.62 ERA over 34 1/3 innings.

The Dodgers technically had four starters for the NLCS — Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Jack Flaherty, Walker Buehler, and Landon Knack — but it was pretty clear that they weren't going to entrust Knack, a rookie, with too many innings, and would instead turn to the bullpen for some long relief outings.

Honeywell filled that role in his first two postseason appearances against the Mets, first with three innings in Game 2 and then 4 2/3 frames in Game 5. The first went off without a hitch; he allowed two hits and a walk, but no runs scored in an eventual 7-3 win for the Mets.

In Game 5, however, the Dodgers bullpen was running on fumes. Flaherty's second start lasted just three innings after he gave up eight runs. LA sent Honeywell out to take care of the majority of the game, and get knocked around in the process. Still, the Dodgers came back in Game 6 to take the series with a fully rested bullpen, and Honeywell said he didn't mind getting blown up. Instead, he wanted the Dodgers to "save the dogs."

The Dodgers non-tendered Honeywell in November, but he hasn't let go of his stint with them yet. Fans are taking notice of multiple Instagram stories with the 2024 Dodgers and hoping he might be hinting at a reunion.

Is Brent Honeywell Jr. hinting at a Dodgers return on Instagram?

It could be that Honeywell is just reminiscing on good times — after all, there aren't many players who get DFA'ed and then win a World Series in the same season — or making a not-so-subtle plea to the Dodgers to take him back but he certainly endeared himself to fans by taking one for the team in the LCS (and then again in Game 4 of the World Series, in a game the Dodgers sort of intentionally threw).

The bullpen is crowded as it is, and the Dodgers may still be on the lookout for a bonafide closer, but they could easily take Honeywell back on a minor-league deal and keep him in reserve in case of injury, just like last year.

If he doesn't end up back in LA, we'll always have "save the dogs." It became a rallying cry for the Dodgers in those late postseason series, and it got Max Muncy to hand Honeywell the mic at the post-parade celebration. A huge ovation at Dodger Stadium isn't a bad note to go off on.