The Mets made their first offseason move by signing 33-year-old right-handed pitcher Dylan Covey to a one-year contract on Thursday.
He will earn a salary of $850,000 if he plays in the major leagues and $350,000 if he is in the minors.
This past season, Covey went 0-2 with a 2.66 ERA, recording 19 strikeouts and nine walks in 20 and a third innings across 18 games with Philadelphia’s Triple-A Lehigh Valley, Double-A Reading, and Class A Clearwater teams.
At Triple-A, his sinker averaged 93.8 mph, and he threw 45% sinkers, 24% cutters, 18% splitters, and 13% sliders.
Covey last pitched in the major leagues for Philadelphia in 2023, finishing with a record of 1-3 and a 3.69 ERA from one start and 27 relief appearances.
He was placed on the injured list on March 25 due to a strained right shoulder and started a minor league rehab assignment with Clearwater on July 28. Covey was activated from the IL on August 27 and was assigned to Lehigh Valley that same day.
On October 10, he chose to become a free agent after not being placed back on the 40-man roster, which would have made him eligible for salary arbitration.
In his major league career, Covey has a record of 7-32 with a 6.18 ERA in 46 starts and 54 relief appearances over five seasons with the Chicago White Sox (2017-19), Boston (2020), the Los Angeles Dodgers (2023), and the Phillies (2023). He has struck out 214 batters and walked 133 in 307 and a third innings.
As a reliever, he has 60 strikeouts and 33 walks in 89 and a third innings, with a record of 2-5 and a 4.33 ERA.
From 2021 to 2022, he played for Rakuten in Taiwan.
