NY Mets rumors: David Stearns ready to pull the plug on injured player after 11 games

Exactly where does Paul Blackburn fit into the equation for the New York Mets? According to some of the latest Mets rumors, it’s the trade block. The team is reportedly shopping the veteran righty in hopes of getting anything back at all.

It’s not exactly a surprise to see. Blackburn was already depth from the onset of the season. Destined to be a bullpen arm with the occasional spot start, Blackburn is now a trade candidate the Mets will probably sell for just about any return they can get. 

Mets rumors suggest the team is ready to move on from Paul Blackburn at any cost

There is a close to 100% chance we see Blackburn released if not traded by Thursday’s deadline. The team doesn’t have any room for him on the roster with a crowded bullpen and rotation. Through 11 games, he hasn’t made a strong case to stay. The 6.28 ERA, on the higher side this season, tells us all we need to know about this acquisition from last July.

The Mets believed they needed some starting pitching depth, choosing to go after a number five starter. Blackburn was satisfying enough in his first few outings and even turned in a strong showing this season versus the Los Angeles Dodgers. Unfortunately, the small number of good outings hasn’t made up for the bad ones. He hasn’t given the Mets much at all or had health on his side to make up for the loss of other players.

To make matters worse, the Mets gave up pitching prospect Kade Morris for him. Morris is ranked as the 12th best prospect the Athletics have, according to MLB Pipeline. This isn’t on the same disaster scale as 2022’s Darin Ruf trade. This more accompanies the other misfire from 2024 when the Mets sent Paul Gervase to the Tampa Bay Rays for Tyler Zuber. Zuber has already been DFA’d by the Mets. In the next few hours if they don’t find a trade partner, Blackburn could as well.

If Blackburn was to get released, we can already figure he’ll take a league minimum salary to pitch for the Atlanta Braves. They traded for Erick Fedde and Carlos Carrasco this month. Held back by starting pitching injuries this year, we shouldn’t have too many fears of Blackburn ending up on the hated NL East rival and doing too much damage.