5 NY Mets players who will be off the 40-man roster by the MLB trade deadline

4) Paul Blackburn

Working his way back from injury, there really isn’t much room for Paul Blackburn on the Mets. Frankly, there never was. He was a depth starting pitching piece always destined to fall into the bullpen. Useful if there was a way to stash him in the minor leagues, Blackburn would have to consent to a demotion. This seems unlikely.

Blackburn showed flashes of pitching well for the Mets, but the bad far outweighed the good. This applies to last season and the current campaign. As a member of the Mets, he’s now 1-5 with a 6.28 ERA in 43 innings.

The Mets should cut their losses and not add any more in the standings by keeping Blackburn around needlessly. He’s not a good enough starting pitcher. He doesn’t have the kind of experience you want in the bullpen either. With two or three bullpen additions coming by the trade deadline and a spot or two you’d want to leave open for sending players to the minors, the Mets have no seat for Blackburn any longer.

How does it end? The Athletics found a way to trade him last year even with a 4.41 ERA. Less healthy since the deal, the Mets could only expect to get a very low level prospect in return. Whatever is they could get, take it and run.