Instantly in critical pursuit of a playoff spot, the Mets made a transfer to bolster their rotation.
The Mets introduced Tuesday afternoon that they’re buying beginning pitcher Paul Blackburn from the Oakland Athletics. The Mets are sending out right-handed pitching prospect Kade Morris, the staff’s No. 25 prospect within the pipeline, within the commerce.
Blackburn, 30, has been restricted to only 9 begins this season after lacking a number of months with a stress response in his proper foot. In these appearances, he holds an ERA of 4.41 over 51 innings. In his first begin after getting back from the 60-day injured listing on Friday, Blackburn allowed 4 earned runs on 5 hits and one stroll throughout 5 innings.
“I feel that is an extremely constant pitcher, fills the strike zone, has form of a kitchen sink strategy to what he does,” stated David Stearns, the Mets’ president of baseball operations. “And we expect he is gonna match into our rotation fairly properly.”
The suitable-hander has yet one more 12 months of arbitration eligibility remaining, which means he may very well be an element for the Mets in subsequent season’s rotation. Proper now, the lone assure for the Mets in subsequent season’s rotation is Kodai Senga. Luis Severino and Jose Quintana are within the closing years of their offers, whereas Sean Manaea holds a participant possibility for 2025.
In keeping with Stearns, the Mets did their due diligence on the highest of the beginning pitcher market, however nothing got here to fruition.
“I feel as a matter in fact, we examine the whole lot and so we actually had conversations all around the spectrum, throughout place groupings and we’re capable of recover from the road on these offers,” Stearns stated.
Blackburn agreed to a one-year, $3.5 million cope with the Athletics to keep away from arbitration heading into the 2024 season.
Blackburn depends on his variability and management to get the job performed, as he deploys a six-pitch combine, led by his four-seam fastball, cutter, changeup and slider. He additionally throws a curveball and sinker greater than 10 % of the time. He is more likely to issue into the again finish of the Mets’ rotation.
In eight years in Oakland, Blackburn has a 4.83 profession ERA. The previous first spherical decide of the Cubs, Blackburn was the A’s lone All-Star in 2022 when he was 7-6 with a 4.28 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 89 strikeouts in 111⅓ innings.
The 22-year-old Morris, a 2023 third-round select of the College of Nevada, is 4-3 with a 3.43 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 57 strikeouts in 57⅔ innings for Excessive-A Brooklyn this season.