Mets acquire former All-Star starting pitcher Paul Blackburn in trade with Athletics

The Mets have been searching for pitching help after injuries to Christian Scott and Kodai Senga

By R.J. Anderson Jul 30, 2024 at 4:11 pm ET• 1 min read

The New York Mets are nearing an agreement to acquire former All-Star right-handed starter Paul Blackburn from the Oakland Athletics, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan. In exchange, the Athletics will receive righty Kade Morris, per The Athletic's Will Sammon. 

Blackburn, 30, only recently returned to a big-league mound after missing more than two months because of a right foot stress reaction. He started on July 26 against the Los Angeles Angels, surrendering four runs on five hits and a walk over five innings of work. On the season, he's sporting a 91 ERA+ and a 2.71 strikeout-to-walk ratio in nine starts.

Blackburn, who made the 2022 All-Star Game, has consistently been a league-average starter when he's been healthy in recent years. Indeed, since the start of 2022, he's compiled a 91 ERA+ and a 2.66 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 266 innings pitched.

It should be noted that Blackburn is under team control for an additional season. That makes him more than a rental acquisition, and it's fair to slot him into the 2025 rotation based on current information.