First NY Mets free agent signing of the winter cut from the roster, here’s the catch

It was all according to plan. Sign a free agent with the full intention of eventually cutting him from the roster. This is the stuff Lex Luther condones. The Joker would rage with jealousy. Gus Fring would make you a job offer you can’t refuse. The first big league New York Mets free agent signing of the offseason was always meant to turn into a roster cut. Meaningless, perhaps. It shows the intelligence of the way David Stearns can operate within the rules.

The Mets added Ryne Stanek this week and in order to fit him on their 40-man roster they had to bump someone off. They chose Dylan Covey, the aforementioned first MLB contract the team agreed to this offseason back on Halloween. While we were all stuffing our faces with Reese’s eggs, Covey was putting ink to paper on a split contract with New York.

Those contract details are key to understanding the reason why this was what the Mets had planned all along. Covey’s contract will pay him a prorated salary of $850K for time spent in the majors. At Triple-A, he’d earn $350K. The minimum salary for a player at the Triple-A level is $36K, making Covey an exceptionally expensive minor league player and one the Mets will hope passes through the waiver wire with ease.

The masterplan for the Mets and the deal with Dylan Covey is now taking shape

There’s always a possibility Covey does go claimed on waivers as the salary is still peanuts in comparison to most major league deals. But with a poor track record in the majors and a season in 2024 spent mostly rehabbing his way back from injury, it’s not as if anyone would view Covey favorably. A team claiming him would run into the same exact roster issues. He doesn’t have minor league options so unless they had intentions of having him on their 26-man roster, there isn’t much of a point in keeping him around.

Covey could always elect free agency, but if he did he’d forfeit his deal. Good luck finding another team to pay him more. Earning about 10x as much if he stays with the Mets, it’s a given he’ll get the contract he signed and likely from Steve Cohen’s checkbook.

The Mets have been smart about split contracts this offseason. Jared Young got one after a year in Korea to build up his stock. He has minor league options remaining so it might not be the direction they choose to go with him. Sean Reid-Foley, on the other hand, did accept a similar split contract as Covey. He is also out of minor league options. An increased salary for time spent at the minor league level will only make him a consideration for teams that want him on their major league roster.

Stearns has a reputation for being a smart baseball mind. Signing Juan Soto didn’t take a brain. Clever ways to convince free agent depth pieces to sign and make them less attractive to other teams requires a thick medulla oblongata.