Covey latched on with the Braves last month as a non-roster invitee and will presumably head to Triple-A Gwinnett as extra organizational relief depth, unless he opts-out of his contract. The 33-year-old journeyman made 29 appearances between the Dodgers and Phillies back in 2023. He missed last season due to a shoulder injury.

Covey was given an MLB deal from the Mets in October, but he elected free agency after being designated for assignment this winter. Covey will compete for a bullpen spot with Atlanta this spring.

Sort of an odd saga here. Covey, who has a 6.18 ERA in 46 starts and 54 relief appearances as a major leaguer, was an extremely early free agent signing, landing a one-year deal with the Mets on Oct. 31. It was a surprise to see him get a major league deal after he missed last season with a shoulder injury, less of a surprise to see him eventually crowded off the 40-man and now again a surprise to see him forgo his Mets deal and trek back into free agency. He will have a better shot of making a weaker team, though.

Covey will most likely elect free agency instead of accepting the outright minor-league assignment after passing through waivers unclaimed, but could wind up sticking around with New York. The 33-year-old righty signed a one-year deal with the Mets back in late October after missing all of last season due to injury. He should be able to latch on somewhere this spring as extra relief depth if he opts to leave New York.