The Los Angeles Dodgers may not have added a high-priced arm via free agency, but what they have done is build on the depth with a number of Minor League contract signings throughout the offseason.
Staying under the $233 million luxury tax threshold was an apparent goal for the Dodgers, but after Trevor Bauer’s contract was put back on the payroll following an independent arbitrator’s ruling, they inched past the competitive balance tax line.
Not only are the Dodgers facing the prospect of being unable to reset tax penalties, but they missed out on a number of starters such as Jacob deGrom, Justin Verlander and Carlos Rodón, who could’ve solidified their starting rotation.
However, the Dodgers were able to re-sign Clayton Kershaw to another one-year contract, then followed that up with signing Noah Syndergaard on a one-year deal worth $13 million with performance incentives.
According to J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group, the Dodgers now signed Dylan Covey to a Minor League contract that includes a non-roster invite to 2023 Spring Training:
Can confirm. It’s a minor league deal for Covey, a 31-year-old righty from Southern California, who went 6-29 with a 6.57 ERA in the majors from 2017-20. H/T to colleague @photowkb. https://t.co/uWGue6HqMp
— J.P. Hoornstra (@jphoornstra) January 27, 2023
Covey is a former fourth-round selection in the 2013 MLB Draft who spent parts of four seasons with the Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox. He’s logged a combined 6.57 ERA, 1.59 WHIP, and a 5.48 FIP across 264.1 innings during that span.
Covey hasn’t pitched in the Majors since the 2020 season, but after signing with the Rakuten Monkeys prior to the 2021 campaign, he posted a 3.63 ERA, 1.38 WHIP in 198.1 innings. The 140 innings Covey recorded this past season were the second-most in his professional career.
Dylan Covey added to Dodgers Minor League signings
Covey is the latest in a string of signings made by the Dodgers over recent weeks. Jordan Yamamoto joined the team after a season spent in the New York Mets’ Minor League farm system, pitching at three different levels.
In time at High-A, Double-A and Triple-A last year, Yamamoto carried a combined 6.00 ERA in 24 games (six starts).
Yamamoto broke into MLB with the Miami Marlins in 2019 by tossing back-to-back seven-inning shutout performances. However, he would go on to falter and never recaptured the success shown during his first handful of Major League starts.
The Dodgers are known for reclamation projects, a main reason why Syndergaard chose them as his newest destination, and Yamamoto and Covey will hope to have similar success with their new club.
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