Kodai Senga injury extinguishes NY Mets rumors before catching fire

There are times when everything lines up just a little too cleanly, like traffic lights turning green one after another when you’re running late to work. That’s where the New York Mets stood this week: rotation pieces falling into place, starters nearing returns from the IL, and the front office quietly moving toward a decision that felt inevitable. Whispers turned into inquiries. Eyes across the league fixated on a name quietly shuffled to the bullpen, a veteran arm who didn’t belong in limbo. And just as the fire started to crackle, just as the buzz in Queens hinted at something worth watching, it vanished, doused not by trade talks, but by the unfortunate stretch of a leg at first base.

The Mets suddenly find themselves rethinking their rotation plans just as interest in their surplus of arms has quietly begun to surface.

According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, teams have started kicking the tires on Paul Blackburn, the veteran right-hander now moonlighting in the Mets bullpen. It was only natural. With the best rotation ERA in baseball (2.84) and two starters, Frankie Montas and Sean Manaea, working their way back from the IL, the Amazins' had the kind of rotation depth that draws attention.

Blackburn, a pending free agent, and perfectly respectable back-end option, became an easy name to circle. One solid start against the Dodgers—five scoreless innings with three hits and three strikeouts, put him on the radar. His follow-up, a four-inning relief outing in Colorado, was bumpier: seven hits, three runs, and not much rhythm. Still, for scouts watching in early June, the takeaway was clear, he could start, and he could probably be had.

And then Kodai Senga grabbed his hamstring. Just minutes after the game began, Sherman’s article went live, outlining potential trade interest as the Mets’ rotation depth limped off the field. Whatever flicker of trade momentum had started to form was instantly snuffed out, extinguished before the rumor mill even had time to make a rotation.

The early word is that Max Kranick will get the first crack at Senga’s roster spot, but all signs point to Blackburn being the one who steps in. Whether he’s a placeholder, an innings-eater, or a full-fledged solution remains to be seen. What’s certain is that David Stearns trade leverage vanished before it ever had a chance to heat up.

For now, Blackburn shifts from potential trade piece to rotation plug-in, with any outside interest firmly on hold. The Mets’ plans haven’t unraveled, but they’ve been paused, just long enough to remind everyone how fragile depth can be. What was shaping into a quiet surplus is now a carefully managed shuffle. And as always in Queens, the moment things start falling into place, the next twist is already on deck.