Mets, veteran reliever Dylan Covey agree to 1-year contract

NEW YORK -- The Mets made their first move of the offseason, agreeing Thursday to a one-year contract with 33-year-old right-hander Dylan Covey.

He gets an $850,000 salary while in the major leagues and $350,000 while in the minors.

Covey went 0-2 with a 2.66 ERA, 19 strikeouts and nine walks over 20 1/3 innings in 18 games this year with Philadelphia's Triple-A Lehigh Valley, Double-A Reading and Class A Clearwater farm teams.

His sinker averaged 93.8 mph at Triple-A, where he threw 45% sinkers, 24% cutters, 18% splitters and 13% sliders.

Covey last pitched in the major leagues with Philadelphia in 2023, going 1/3 with a 3.69 ERA in one start and 27 relief appearances.

He was placed on the injured list this past March 25 because of a strained right shoulder, then began a minor league rehab assignment with Clearwater on July 28. Covey was activated from the IL on Aug. 27 and assigned outright to Lehigh Valley that same day.

He elected free agency on Oct. 10, his right as a player who was not restored to the 40-man roster and would have been eligible for salary arbitration if on the roster.

Covey is 7-32 with a 6.18 ERA in 46 starts and 54 relief appearances over five major league seasons with the Chicago White Sox (2017-19), Boston (2020), the Los Angeles Dodgers (2023) and the Phillies (2023), striking out 214 and walking 133 in 307 1/3 innings.

Covey has 60 strikeouts and 33 walks over 89 1/3 innings as a reliever, going 2-5 with a 4.33 ERA.

He pitched with Rakuten in Taiwan from 2021-22.