The Yankees announced that they have signed right-hander Paul Blackburn, with fellow righty Allan Winans optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre as the corresponding move. The Yanks have had an open 40-man spot since JT Brubaker was designated for assignment earlier this month. Tim Healey of The Boston Globe first noted that Blackburn was in the Yankee clubhouse. Blackburn tells Chris Kirschner of The Athletic that he expects to work out of the bullpen.
Blackburn has been having an injury-marred season but he is currently healthy and stretched out. About a month ago, he started a rehab assignment while on the Mets’ injured list due to a shoulder impingement. From July 22nd to August 8th, he made four rehab appearances, each lasting at least five innings. He didn’t allow more than two earned runs in any of them.
The Mets didn’t really have a rotation spot for him, so they reinstated him from the IL and put him in the bullpen. On August 13th, he tossed five innings of long relief against Atlanta, allowing two earned runs. Despite that generally solid run of results, the Mets designated Blackburn for assignment when they promoted prospect Nolan McLean on Saturday. Blackburn then cleared release waivers, allowing him to sign this deal with the Yankees.
Since he has been released, that also means he is essentially free for the Yanks. The Mets remain on the hook for the majority of his salary. The Yankees only have to pay him the prorated league minimum for the time he spends on the roster. That amount will be subtracted from what the Mets pay.
The Yankees currently have a rotation consisting of Max Fried, Carlos Rodón, Luis Gil, Will Warren and Cam Schlittler, so Blackburn will slide into a long relief role. Though he’s been hurt for most of 2025 and has a 6.85 earned run average, he has past major league success. From 2022 to 2024, he tossed a combined 290 1/3 innings with a 4.43 earned run average, 20.2% strikeout rate, 7.5% walk rate and 44.8% ground ball rate. As mentioned, he’s been getting decent results lately and is cheap.
Photo courtesy of Jason Parkhurst, Imagn Images
Yawn.
Assistant equipment manager?
Assistant to the traveling secretary.
Not sure he’ll still be on the team next week.
Is this really an upgrade from Brubaker?
“Really an upgrade”…Not all players acquired are meant to be “upgrades”. Some are meant to be healthy mop up duty pitchers or “save a taxed bullpen” pitchers.
Who do you think will pitch if the Yankees are trailing by four runs entering the 7th inning tomorrow?
I wouldn’t get too bent out of shape, because Blackburn will never take the mound, in a truly high leverage, high impact situation.
Why would we sign this guy? He is terrible, look at his last 5 outings!
LMAO!!!! SADLY. I’d rather have Stroman. Can they call up Ben Hess??? Who else is the minors can be useful??
I follow the yankees minor league system, but is hess a starter? Or could they possibly use him as a reliever? He seems like he has talent. Is it too soon to call up a 2024 pick?
Lagrange!
I would say they should call up Spencer jones but we already have an over abundance of OF
He is a solid ground ball pitcher who doesn’t walk much. His knock is he doesn’t strike anyone out. He will be an excellent long man. He has the exact profile of a pitcher Matt Blake has had a lot of success with. He has far and away better underlying stats than Stroman the last couple of years. Stro had a 50% hard hit rate. Do you really prefer that and his attitude to a younger better Blackburn?
To throw a few low leverage innings, if necessary, over the next few days and get cut once one of the rehabbing relievers is ready next week.
Just like any of hundreds of transactions covered on this site over the course of the season.
The job now is to determine which starter will go down with injury, opening a spot for Blackburn. The Yankees are not allowed to have rotation depth.
Expecting garbarge’ time with Boston?
Crashman hitting the accelerator while Baboone steers the franchise into a wall. All the while, Crashman mumbles something about trusting the process and Baboone claims, as he so often does, “It’s right in front of us.”
aside from Williams, whom no one thought would be this bad, Cashman has had a fabulous off-season and Boone has kept a team strife with injuries afloat. Some fans will never be satisfied
This is one of the Brian Cashman moves of all-time.
This is the problem with the Yankees and possibly most teams. They get rid of Brubaker because he’s out of options, and roster is full. Now they need him and he’s gone. That’s why JC the catcher is the Yo Yo of the month because he’s the only one with options. Something needs to be done. Increase roster or increase number of players options.
What? And increase roster and increase options?
And put MLBTR nearly out of business?
Montas > Blackburn
All the knee-jerk reactions! The Yankees are beginning a stretch of 11 days with no days off. They need a mop-up guy who can go multiple innings. Expect Blackburn to be DFA’d in a about a week or two.
Blackburn here until Yarbrough gets back?
That’s probably the case. Yarbrough was up to 50 pitches in his rehab start last night
So they get rid of brubaker just to get a worse long reliever. Really? Stroman is better. This is tough to say, but jake bird might even better. Winans wasn’t great but better than this guy. We will see…
Brubaker was DFA’d due to the relievers acquired at the trade deadline.
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Time to trim that awful beard, Paul…
That’s all-star Paul Blackburn
Blackburn on borrowed time until Cruz or Yaborough get back.
Yeah it’s not a comment on his current ability. Just funny he was an all star a few years ago
“As mentioned, he’s been getting decent results lately and is cheap.”
Blackburn has had exactly one outing in the past two months, and put a game that was already out of reach even further out of reach.
He is awful. Do the Yankees really want to miss the playoffs? When you throw guys out there like Blackburn and Carlos Carrasco, you are basically saying “We give up, you can have this free win”. I said tons of bad things about both these guys before the season started. Looks like I was right, again. Maybe I should get an interview for a GM job. Outside of scouting and knowing how the salary/luxury tax really works, I’d be a better GM then 90% of current MLB GMs
And Stro is still a free agent!
Yet another bizarro, hair-brained move by the GM of the richest MLB franchise. My guess is 2 appearances, 4.2 innings, 9 hits, 8 ER then DFA next Tuesday or Wednesday.
Rita Mae Brown Wrote, “insanity is trying the same thing over and over again expecting different results” I wonder if Boone is experimenting in this theory using Dovle as his subject? Now he gets to use Blackburn as his newest source.
Blackburn fly into the light of the dark black night!
can’t see him staying in NY after this fiasco against the Red Sox.
3.1 IP, 8 hits, 7 ER, 71 pitches. Yikes.
Thanks for your service Paul. Now back to the dumpster for you as Trashman looks to pick up the next piece of garbage for Boonedoggle’s bullpen merrygoround.
The Boston series this week, the fact they are underwater vs Toronto as well, shows why Yankees need a kick in the butt! Boone needs to go & I’d say he’s gone by 10/15. Cashman to follow & a clean out of “fill ins” in bullpen & bench. It’s time.