When Walker Buehler struck out former teammate Alex Verdugo to clinch the Los Angeles Dodgers eighth World Series championship last night, it also meant another big moment in baseball.
The offseason had officially begun.
And while the media wasted no time asking Juan Soto about his next possible destination - while he was still in his New York Yankees uniform - other teams were already starting to do their diligence on free agents they'd like to try to sign to major league contracts.
Figuring they wanted to waste no time to strike before the hot stove was actually lit, the New York Mets - the same team that abruptly ended the Phillies season far earlier than expected - decided to poach their first free agent from the dead carcass of the 2024 Philadelphia team.
We've signed RHP Dylan Covey to a one-year major league contract. pic.twitter.com/ULIvuYfcq0
Yep, the Mets signed Covey to a one-year, major league contract. The terms of the deal have not yet been announced.
Oh, the humanity!
Seriously though, while Covey was pretty underwhelming in the limited time he pitched for the Phillies in 2023, he did show some small signs of figuring it out enough to possibly be a useful long man/depth option for the team.
However, a spring training injury basically sunk his entire 2024 season. and now the Mets are going to take a flier on the guy that he's healthy and that he remembers what was working before everything blew up on him in March.
Originally a fourth-round pick of the Oakland A's, Covey made his debut with the White Sox in 2017 after they plucked him from Oakland in the Rule 5 draft.
In three seasons with Chicago, he had 6.54 ERA in 250 1/3 innings of work.
After being let go by the White Sox, Covey was a bit of a vagabond, bouncing around with a couple major league organizations and also over in the Chinese Professional Baseball League.
He pitched well enough in China that he signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers before the start of the 2023 season, but was waived after one appearance when the Phillies swooped in.
He threw 39 innings for the Phillies and had a 3.69 ERA in mostly low-leverage innings.
NEWS: The New York Mets have signed former Phillies reliever Dylan Covey to a One-Year MLB Contract. pic.twitter.com/z2FdrHMM94
Considered a candidate for the final bullpen spot heading into spring training, Covey missed four months with a right shoulder strain, and then once healthy, the Phillies removed him from the 40-man roster and outrighted him to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
In 15 appearances with the Iron pigs, Covey allowed just one run - and it was a homer to the first batter he faced.
The Mets must have liked that small sample enough to give him a major league job in their bullpen for 2025.
And thus concludes the ever-memorable Covey-era in Philadelphia, and fans no longer have to remember that his name was pronounced differently than Eagles wide receiver Britain Covey.
