3 NY Mets on the 40-man roster added this winter who could be gone by Opening Day

The New York Mets filled out their depth chart this offseason with plenty of new additions. There is still plenty of time for them to add new players, but if they add someone new, they’ll need to clear space on the 40-man roster. It is currently maxed out, as all 40 spots are taken. However, the Mets have a handful of players on the roster who are in DFA limbo and could be removed from the 40-man before Opening Day. 

1) Dylan Covey 

The Mets signed Dylan Covey this offseason to a split contract. After a solid two-season stint in China during 2021 and 2022, Covey returned to the United States in 2023. Covey tossed 20.1 innings for the division rival Philadelphia Phillies’ minor league system, working to a 2.66 ERA, 3.77 FIP, and 1.23 WHIP. Although he had an HR/9 of 0.44, he only had a 22.6% K% and 10.7% walk rate.

But Covey has had little to no success in the Major Leagues. The right-hander has appeared in parts of five seasons with the Chicago White Sox, Boston Red Sox, LA Dodgers, and the aforementioned Phillies. In total, he has 307.1 innings pitched, working to a dismal 6.18 ERA, 5.37 FIP, and 1.58 WHIP.

Covey has struck out a meager 15.5% of opponents with a sub-par 9.6% walk rate. He has also been home run-prone with a 1.52 HR/9. The only positives on Covey’s stat sheet are his 50.7% ground ball rate and 6.3% barrel percentage. But those are the only two things of note that work in his favor.

Covey isn’t a young gun still figuring things out, either. 2025 will be his age-33 season. The Mets have significantly better arms than Covey, and if they sign a pitcher, he could very well be the first to get DFA’d. Covey does not bring much to the Mets’ roster, not even as a solid depth piece.