Paul Blackburn probably isn’t the most precise player to air dirty NY Mets laundry

Paul Blackburn has a unique perspective because he managed to get inside the New York Mets and New York Yankees locker rooms last year. Back with the Yankees again, he is able to comment better than just about anyone as to the vibes of the locker room. According to him, things were different between the Mets and Yankees last year.

When Blackburn arrived to the Yankees after the Mets DFA’d him, things were positive. Here's what he told the NY Post:

“When I showed up to the Yankees, it was very noticeable how everyone was pulling on the same rope. Guys seemed to really like each other and fight for each other. There was a lot of chemistry in the clubhouse. That’s not how it was with the Mets last year.”

Blackburn also happened to be around in 2024 when the Mets locker room was nothing but copacetic. He cited how positive things were there with already well-known leaders J.D. Martinez and Jose Iglesias as to examples as to why everything was able to "mesh." What he says is true to what he observed but with only 7 games with the Mets and another 8 with the Yankees, does he really have enough of a stranglehold on all of the inner workings? The Mets were no doubt a mess in 2025 compared to 2024. Unfortunately, Blackburn isn't the one who'd know the best.

Paul Blackburn’s assessment is fair, but it’s hard to believe he has enough of a sample size to truly understand the locker room dynamics

Blackburn didn’t join the Mets until early June. The Mets lost all five of his final appearances. He specifically took the loss in three of them.

Mets fans never got to know Blackburn the person all that well in his fewer than 365 days with the team. Five starts in 2024 before landing on the IL, he was a fringe member of the roster whose role for 2025 was always up in the air.

The Yankees managed to find a niche for Blackburn. He got beaten up in his debut while throwing 71 pitches in relief during a 12-1 bloodletting against the Boston Red Sox. Useful when it came to eating innings, Blackburn settled in after allowing 7 earned runs in his debut to give up only 2 more the rest of the way.

Statistically, the damage was already done. There was no coming back from it, but he apparently showed enough to the Yankees front office to award him with a new contract.

Blackburn was primarily around the 2025 Mets while things were spiraling while missing any of the good vibrations that might’ve been present early on in the season when the team was playing well.

We can fairly acknowledge how Blackburn felt between the two locker rooms and he’s probably not wrong. It would just be nice for some added confirmation. How much was Blackburn around the alleged Mets players who didn’t get along? Something tells me he never stepped into the middle of a Francisco Lindor-Brandon Nimmo political debate.