Paul Blackburn

Mets Notes: Bregman, Alonso, Loaisiga, Blackburn, Mauricio

By Mark Polishuk | December 9, 2024 at 8:16pm CDT

As if signing Juan Soto to a record contract wasn’t enough, the Mets could be exploring another big-ticket addition for the corner infield. Ari Alexander of KPRC (X link) reports that the Mets are among the teams who have interest in Alex Bregman, while president of baseball operations David Stearns told MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo and other reporters that the Mets would “love to bring [Pete] Alonso back.”

While referring to Alonso’s market but perhaps speaking broadly about the Mets’ payroll situation as a whole, Stearns said “I think our ownership has consistently demonstrated that there’s going to be resources when we need them. There is the ability for us to make baseball moves when we think that they’re there to improve the team, and we’re going to continue to pursue a wide variety of areas to continue to improve our team.”

This means that neither Alonso, Bregman, or perhaps a top-tier pitcher can be ruled out during what has already been an aggressive offseason in Queens. The Mets had so much coming off the books this winter that even with Soto’s mega-deal now factored in, New York’s luxury tax number is still a relatively modest $251.8MM (as per RosterResource’s estimate). While this is over the $241MM tax threshold, simply exceeding the tax line is nothing to Mets owner Steve Cohen, whose team had an estimated $358.1MM tax number in 2024.

Mark Vientos’ breakout season makes him a lock for one corner infield slot, giving New York some flexibility in deciding what to do with the other side of the diamond. Vientos could just remain at the hot corner and the Mets could run it back entirely by re-signing a popular homegrown slugger Alonso. Or, the Mets could shake things up by moving Vientos to first base, clearing room for Bregman as the new starting third baseman.

Both Bregman and Alonso rejected qualifying offers, though in re-signing Alonso, the Mets wouldn’t have to give up any compensation since he is their own free agent. Signing Soto cost the Mets $1MM in international draft pool money and their second- and fifth-highest picks in the 2025 draft, so signing another QO-rejecting free agent would cost another $1MM of bonus pool funds plus two more picks — this time New York’s third- and sixth-highest selections. It isn’t entirely out of the question that the Mets could burn such a big chunk of a draft year in search of premium win-now talent, though the club’s preference is likely to avoid another free agent tied to compensation.

Moving onto pitching targets, ESPN’s Jorge Castillo writes that the Mets are one of the teams linked to Jonathan Loaisiga’s market. Loaisiga was known to have received interest from 14 teams, including both New York clubs. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza is very familiar with Loaisiga from their shared time together in the Bronx when Mendoza was the Yankees’ bench coach.

Loaisiga pitched just four innings in the 2024 season before his year was cut short by a UCL-related surgery (not a Tommy John procedure). Multiple injuries have limited Loaisiga to 219 2/3 innings since his MLB debut in 2018, but the right-hander has been an intriguing bullpen weapon when he’s been healthy, delivering a 3.28 ERA over 181 1/3 frames as a reliever. The buy-low potential is strong, so it isn’t surprising that Loaisiga is drawing such widespread attention from teams in need of bullpen help.

Stearns also provided a couple of injury updates during his media session (hat tip to DiComo and Newsday’s Tim Healey). The Mets believe Paul Blackburn will be ready for Opening Day in the aftermath of an October surgery to fix a spinal fluid leak. As dangerous as that procedure sounds, it carried a relatively brief recovery timeline of 4-5 months, and the Mets are encouraged enough by Blackburn’s rehab to now project him on the shorter end of that timeframe.

Blackburn could be another part of New York’s bullpen picture, but Stearns said the right-hander is still being viewed as a starting pitching option. Blackburn would currently line up as the fifth starter behind Kodai Senga, Frankie Montas, David Peterson, and Clay Holmes, though both his health status throughout Spring Training and the Mets’ further offseason moves could impact that rotation job. Acquired from the A’s at last year’s trade deadline, Blackburn was limited to five starts and 24 1/3 innings (posting a 5.18 ERA) due to both his back problem and a hand bruise.

It was almost exactly a year ago that top prospect Ronny Mauricio suffered a torn ACL during winter ball action, and Stearns said that Mauricio is now getting back to baseball-related activities. A former regular of the top-100 prospect rankings, Mauricio made his MLB debut in the form of 26 games and 108 PA for the Mets in 2023, but his injury dealt a big setback to his chances of being a bigger part of the infield mix last season.

Paul Blackburn Undergoes Spinal Procedure

By Steve Adams | October 22, 2024 at 10:46am CDT

The Mets announced Tuesday that right-hander Paul Blackburn underwent a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak repair procedure on October 11. The typical timeframe to return to play from a procedure of this nature is four to five months, per the club.

A timetable of four to five months would put Blackburn on track to be ready early or midway through spring training, assuming all goes according to plan with his rehab. That said, it’s a notable enough procedure that it calls into question whether that spring opportunity will come with the Mets or another club. Blackburn is eligible for arbitration this winter and projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz to earn a $4.4MM salary for the 2025 campaign — his last one before free agency. That’s a reasonable enough price to pay for a fourth/fifth starter of Blackburn’s caliber, but the Mets are also expected to carry a weighty luxury tax bill. If they again return to the top penalty bracket, Blackburn could wind up costing them more like $9.25MM, given the team’s tax status.

Blackburn might’ve been a non-tender candidate anyhow and unfortunately now seems likelier to fall into that category. If nothing else, the Mets could explore the possibility of trading him to a team in need of back-of-the-rotation depth, though his murky health status would surely prove a sticking point in any such negotiations.

The Mets acquired Blackburn, 31 next month, prior to the trade deadline in a deal sending minor league righty Kade Morris (whom they’d selected in the third round of the 2023 draft) back to the A’s. He only made five starts with the Mets, however, three of them with excellent results (six innings, two or one earned run allowed) and two with disastrous results (combined 11 earned runs in 6 1/3 innings). On the whole, he pitched 24 1/3 innings with a 5.18 ERA during his time with the Mets. Blackburn was placed on the injured list in late August after taking a comebacker off his wrist. Prior to the postseason, the Mets placed Blackburn on the 60-day IL with a spinal fluid leak.

Starting pitching was always going to be one of the focal points of the Mets’ offseason (presumably, along with a pursuit of Juan Soto and an effort to re-sign Pete Alonso). Sean Manaea, Luis Severino and Jose Quintana are all free agents following the World Series (or at least they will be, once Manaea declines a $13.5MM player option). Blackburn could’ve been a key depth arm — a potential fifth starter or swingman — but his health now calls that role into question and only furthers the Mets’ need to add both high-end pitching talent and quality big league depth.

Kodai Senga To Start NLDS Game One For Mets

By Darragh McDonald | October 5, 2024 at 10:08am CDT

TODAY: The Mets made Senga’s return official when announcing their NLDS roster this morning. Senga was activated from the 60-day IL and Megill was also added to the 26-man roster that will face the Phillies. Right-handers Huascar Brazoban and Max Kranick were removed from the Wild Card Series roster to make room for Senga and Megill, and Blackburn was moved to the 60-day IL in the corresponding 40-man move for Senga.

OCTOBER 4: The Mets are facing off against the Phillies in the National League Division Series, with the first game set for Saturday afternoon. Manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters today that right-hander Kodai Senga will start that first game for the Mets. Mike Puma of The New York Post was among those to relay the news on X.

The Mets have received close to nothing from Senga this year. He suffered a capsule strain in his throwing shoulder in Spring Training, which kept him on the injured list for months. He was reinstated off the injured list and made his season debut on July 26, but was removed from that game after 5 1/3 innings due to a calf strain and went right back on the IL. He tried to return late in the regular season but was slowed by some triceps soreness.

That lack of production from Senga was a blow to the Mets. He made his major league debut in 2023 and tossed 166 1/3 innings with a 2.98 earned run average. His 11.1% walk rate was on the high side but he struck out 29.1% of batters faced and got grounders at a 44.7% clip. Despite that, the Mets managed to squeak into the postseason and then defeat the Brewers in the Wild Card series while Senga remained on the IL.

Yesterday, Will Sammon of Athletic reported that the Mets were considering Senga for their NLDS roster. Now it seems that the righty will not only get a roster spot but will take the ball to get the series started.

The question will be what the Mets can expect from Senga after so much time off. Per Sammon’s report, he recently threw a 25-pitch bullpen session but will probably be limited to a short outing, so perhaps this will be Senga acting more as an opener than a true starter in the classically understood sense. “We’ll see,” Mendoza said today when asked about how long Senga can go, per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com on X. “We’re going to let it play out.”

The Mets have had to get creative with their pitching staff lately. Two of their games against Atlanta in the final week of the regular season were delayed by Hurricane Helene. While 28 of the 30 clubs in the league had the day off on Monday, those two clubs had to play a double-header as each still needed a victory to get into the playoffs. The Mets won the first game in an 8-7 thriller, using Tylor Megill as the starter and then four relievers, including closer Edwin Díaz throwing 40 pitchers as he got the final five outs.

With their playoff spot secured, they used Joey Lucchesi and two relievers to get through the second game of the twin bill, but then they had to start their series in Milwaukee the very next day. Luis Severino started the first game, Sean Manaea the second and Jose Quintana the third. To get through last night’s game, Díaz threw another 39 pitches while again getting five outs and starter David Peterson also tossed an inning of relief.

None of the club’s front three of Severino, Manaea or Quintana would be available on regular rest for Saturday’s first game against Philadelphia. Megill would be an option to take some bulk innings, but he was left off the Wild Card roster since he wasn’t going to be available for those contests. If both Senga and Megill are to be added, the Mets would have to open two spots by leaving off a couple of guys that were present of the Wild Card round. Peterson could perhaps be another option for bulk innings, as he tossed seven innings as recently as September 29.

The full roster decisions don’t have to be publicly announced until Saturday morning. Senga is on the 60-day IL and will need to be added back onto the 40-man roster, but the Mets could easily open a spot by transferring Paul Blackburn or Dedniel Núñez onto the 60-day IL. The Phillies have announced that Zack Wheeler will start game one, followed by Cristopher Sánchez in game two.

Paul Blackburn Won’t Return In 2024

By Darragh McDonald | October 2, 2024 at 5:25pm CDT

The Mets defeated the Brewers yesterday and are now one win away from moving on to the National League Division series. But regardless of how deep they go in the postseason, right-hander Paul Blackburn won’t be an option for them. Manager Carlos Mendoza informed reporters that the righty is done for the year, with Tim Healey of Newsday among those to relay the news on X.

Blackburn was acquired from the Athletics prior to this year’s deadline. The Mets had some injuries in their rotation, with Christian Scott and Kodai Senga both on the shelf, so they sent prospect Kade Morris to Oakland to bring Blackburn aboard.

Unfortunately, the trade hasn’t worked out for them so far. Blackburn made five starts with a 5.18 earned run average before landing on the 15-day injured list due to a right hand bruise suffered when he was hit by a comebacker. While still on the IL, it was reported a couple of weeks ago that he was dealing with a spinal fluid leak in his back. That sounded pretty grim but the club still had some hope of him making a return.

With today’s update, however, that won’t happen. It’s not a devastating blow to the Mets at this point, as the extra off-days in the playoffs and the do-or-die nature of the circumstances lead to smaller starting rotations. The Mets have Sean Manaea, Jose Quintana and Luis Severino as their current top three, with David Peterson and Tylor Megill also around as possible options. Megill isn’t on the Wild Card roster but could be utilized in the coming weeks, if needed.

Senga could perhaps be an option down the line as well but likely wouldn’t be counted on for bulk. He suffered a capsule strain in his shoulder during spring training and didn’t make his season debut until July. In his first start back, he suffered a left calf strain and went right back on the injured list. He threw a 25-pitch bullpen session earlier this week, per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com on X. That could lead to him rejoining the club later in the month but he will probably be limited to short outings.

Turning back to Blackburn, the club could still reap some return on that trade as he can be retained via arbitration for one more season. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects him for a salary of $4.4MM next year. Since the start of 2022, Blackburn has thrown 290 1/3 innings with a 4.43 ERA, 20.2% strikeout rate, 7.5% walk rate and 44.8% ground ball rate.

He would be well worth that modest arbitration raise if the Mets expect him to be able to provide that kind of production next year. The club has a fairly wide open rotation in 2025, as both Quintana and Severino are slated for free agency. Manaea has one year left on his deal but has an opt-out he will certainly exercise as long as he’s still healthy in a few weeks. Scott recently underwent Tommy John surgery and could miss the whole season. José Buttó could return to a starting role but he’s having success in the bullpen, which could tempt the club to keep him there.

That’ll leave the club with a projected 2025 rotation of Senga, Megill and Peterson. Prospects like Brandon Sproat and Blade Tidwell have reached Triple-A but without success at that level yet. Given the number of available innings they have, tendering a contract to Blackburn makes plenty of sense. Even if the club pursues higher-upside pitchers in free agency and squeeze him out of the plans, Blackburn would have some trade value they could look to cash in.

NL Notes: Lindor, Blackburn, Barnes, Payamps

By Leo Morgenstern | September 15, 2024 at 10:27pm CDT

After exiting early on Friday and sitting out on Saturday, Mets superstar Francisco Lindor was pulled in the second inning of today’s series finale against the Phillies. Back discomfort has been a problem for the NL MVP candidate all weekend, and as it turns out, significantly longer. Lindor told reporters, including Tim Britton of The Athletic, that he has been playing through back pain for the past two weeks. Ever since he further irritated the injury on Friday, it has become too difficult to ignore.

Lindor will go for an MRI tomorrow, after which the Mets will have a better sense of the severity of his condition. Needless to say, they’ll be hoping it’s nothing serious and the star shortstop can get back on the field as soon as possible. The Mets are in a dead heat with the Braves in the race to secure the third and final NL Wild Card berth.

In further injury news out of Queens, starting pitcher Paul Blackburn is dealing with a spinal fluid leak in his back (per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com). President of baseball operations David Stearns suggests the injury isn’t quite as bad as it might sound, but nonetheless, the team does not know when Blackburn will be able to return. The right-hander has not pitched since August 23. Thankfully for the Mets, their pitching staff, and particularly their starting rotation, has been a strength as of late. Their starters rank third in MLB with a 2.32 ERA since Blackburn landed on the IL. Meanwhile, Blackburn had a 5.18 ERA in five starts after joining the Mets at the trade deadline.

Kodai Senga Throws Bullpen Session, Could Return This Season

By Anthony Franco | September 4, 2024 at 10:01pm CDT

Kodai Senga took a significant step in his rehab from a left calf strain. As reflected on the MLB.com injury tracker, the righty threw a 25-pitch bullpen session at fairly high intensity this afternoon.

While that’s the first of multiple throwing sessions, Andy Martino of SNY reports that the Mets are increasingly optimistic that Senga will return this season. Martino writes that the Mets prefer for Senga to come back as a starting pitcher. Those would surely be abbreviated starts given the limited ramp-up time, but the organization evidently prefers that to having the 31-year-old work from the bullpen.

Any kind of contribution from Senga would be a welcome development. He sustained the calf injury just before the trade deadline. Initial indications were that the strain was likely to end his season. The Mets implied as much by almost immediately placing him on the 60-day injured list, officially ruling him out until September 25. That left all of five regular season games in which Senga could participate.

There wasn’t any guarantee at the time that those games would even matter for the Mets, who were part of a jumbled Wild Card field. New York has remained in the mix and could be fighting for their playoff lives into the season’s final weekend. The Mets secured their seventh straight win with an 8-3 victory over the Red Sox tonight. They’re a half-game back of the Braves for the NL’s final Wild Card spot. The Mets are the only team within four games of Atlanta.

The two teams are squaring up for a potential race to the finish line. The Mets’ opponent when Senga is first eligible to return: the Braves. That’d be the second game of a three-game set between the division rivals. New York then closes the regular season with a three-game series in Milwaukee.

New York has hung in the playoff race despite virtually nothing from Senga. Their presumptive staff ace has made one start. Senga suffered a shoulder strain early in Spring Training, delaying his season debut until July 26. He had worked 5 1/3 innings of one-run ball with nine strikeouts (coincidentally, against Atlanta) before suffering the calf injury as he tried to get out of the way on an infield fly ball.

Senga was an All-Star and finished seventh in NL Cy Young balloting last year. He worked to a 2.98 earned run average in 166 1/3 innings during his first big league campaign. Senga finished second behind runaway winner Corbin Carroll in Rookie of the Year balloting.

The Mets are relying on a rotation of Sean Manaea, Luis Severino, David Peterson, Jose Quintana and Tylor Megill. The Mets will welcome deadline pickup Paul Blackburn — whom they may not have acquired if not for Senga’s calf injury — back from the 15-day IL next week (relayed on X by Anthony DiComo of MLB.com). Martino writes that the Mets are debating whether to move Megill to relief once Blackburn returns. Megill has a 4.95 ERA in 12 appearances, including 11 starts, despite striking out 26% of opponents. The righty has a bit of bullpen experience, having made six relief appearances back in 2022.

Mets Place Paul Blackburn On 15-Day Injured List

By Mark Polishuk | August 25, 2024 at 12:40pm CDT

The Mets announced that right-hander Paul Blackburn has been placed on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to August 24) due to a right hand bruise. Righty Huascar Brazoban was called up from Triple-A to take Blackburn’s spot on the active roster.

Acquired in a deadline trade from the Athletics, Blackburn has an inconsistent 5.18 ERA over five starts with New York, as he has mixed three quality outings amidst a pair of rough performances. His former Oakland team tagged him with six earned runs over four innings on August 13, and Blackburn was charged with five ER over 2 1/3 innings against the Padres on Friday. The tough night was made worse when Blackburn was hit in the hand by a David Peralta line drive, which forced him out of the game.

On the plus side, a CT scan revealed only a bruise, and Blackburn was initially hopeful he could avoid the injured list altogether. However, a throwing session today resulted in “a lot of stiffness and soreness,” as Blackburn told Newsday’s Tim Healey and other reporters. The decision was then made to put Blackburn on the IL to give him time to fully recover, and the right-hander feels he can return after just the minimum 15 days.

The Mets have an off-day tomorrow but then play nine games in as many days before their next break on September 5. At least one start will need to covered to account for Blackburn’s turn in the rotation, and Tylor Megill is probably the most logical candidate to be summoned from Triple-A for a spot outing or two. The Monday off-day gives the Mets some time to plan how they’ll approach Blackburn’s absence, and perhaps see if any further discomfort or swelling provides any change to his timeline.

Mets Acquire Paul Blackburn

By Anthony Franco | July 30, 2024 at 3:15pm CDT

The Mets strengthened their rotation depth, acquiring Paul Blackburn from the A’s for pitching prospect Kade Morris. Both teams have announced the deal.

New York was pressed into looking for a starter by the recent injuries to Christian Scott and Kodai Senga. New York was contemplating dealing from their rotation as recently as a few weeks ago. Scott went down with a UCL sprain while Senga’s return from the injured list was short-lived. He strained his calf in his season debut and might miss the rest of the year.

Blackburn has missed a good chunk of the year himself. He was shelved from early May onward by a stress reaction in his right foot. The A’s only reinstated him from the injured list last week. Blackburn tossed five innings of four-run ball against the Angels in his final start in an Oakland uniform. Including his eight appearances before landing on the shelf, he owns a 4.41 ERA through 51 innings.

The 30-year-old Blackburn made an All-Star team a couple seasons ago. He’s nevertheless more of a solid back-end arm than a high-end starter. Blackburn doesn’t throw especially hard and typically doesn’t miss a ton of bats. Last season’s 22.4% strikeout rate was a personal high, though that number typically lands closer to this year’s 18.3% mark. Blackburn attacks the strike zone and keeps the ball on the ground at an average or better clip.

Blackburn has posted an ERA in the low-4.00s in three straight seasons. While the A’s have used him exclusively out of the rotation, the Mets could give him a look in long relief. New York’s starting five consists of Luis Severino, Sean Manaea, Jose Quintana, David Peterson and Tylor Megill. Blackburn could stay stretched out for multiple innings in the bullpen or displace one of Peterson or Megill from the rotation. José Buttó is also on hand but the Mets seem to prefer him in a relief role rather than stretching him back out for starting work.

It comes at a fairly modest financial cost. Blackburn is playing on a $3.45MM arbitration salary, around $1.132MM of which remains. He’ll be eligible for what should be a slight raise next season before reaching free agency after the ’25 campaign. New York is paying a 110% tax on whatever salary they take on this summer, so this will cost them roughly $2.38MM for the stretch run.

Morris, 22, was New York’s third-round pick a year ago. The University of Nevada product has combined for a 3.51 ERA in 92 1/3 innings between two A-ball levels. He’s striking out an above-average 24.1% of opponents against a 7.6% walk rate. Baseball America ranked the 6’3″ righty as the #26 prospect in the New York farm system. BA credits him with a solid four-pitch mix and above-average athleticism and control. There’s no headline offering in the arsenal, but Morris has the makings of a potential starter down the line.

ESPN’s Jeff Passan first reported the Mets and A’s were nearing a Blackburn trade. Joel Sherman of the New York Post confirmed that agreement was in place. Will Sammon of the Athletic first reported the A’s would get Morris in return.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

A’s Reinstate Paul Blackburn From Injured List

By Anthony Franco | July 26, 2024 at 7:52pm CDT

The Athletics reinstated Paul Blackburn from the 60-day injured list to start tonight against the Angels. Oakland had an opening on the 40-man roster. They optioned Hogan Harris to clear space on the active roster.

Blackburn takes the ball for the first time since early May. He missed two and a half months with a stress reaction in his right foot. The 30-year-old righty had started eight times before the injury. He worked to a 4.11 ERA through 46 innings. His 19.1% strikeout rate was a little below average, while his 6.9% walk percentage and 47.1% grounder rate were both a bit better than par. That’s about what’s expected of Blackburn, who has been a control-oriented league average starter for a few seasons.

The righty will only make one start before next Tuesday’s deadline. Blackburn could generate some trade interest, though the A’s never seriously seemed to entertain moving him last offseason. They probably won’t do so coming off an extended injury absence which has dealt a hit to his value. There’s little incentive for the A’s to sell low, as Blackburn is playing on a modest $3.45MM salary and is under arbitration control next season.

AL West Notes: Evans, Seager, Tucker, Athletics

By Mark Polishuk | June 9, 2024 at 6:23pm CDT

A few players from the 2023 draft have already made their MLB debuts, and Mariners prospect Logan Evans could potentially be coming soon due to his recent move to relief pitching. As Adam Jude of the Seattle Times writes, Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto recently called Evans with the idea of shifting from the Double-A rotation to the bullpen, since the M’s are currently in the enviable position of having a loaded rotation. Working as a reliever could put Evans on the fast track to the Show, and give the Mariners an extra hard-throwing arm in an injury-depleted pen.

A 12th-round pick out of Pitt, Evans has a sparkling 1.16 ERA over 54 1/3 innings for Double-A Arkansas this season, with a 23% strikeout rate, 7.4% walk rate, and a 53.6% grounder rate. MLB Pipeline’s scouting report also notes that the Mariners received trade interest in Evans as early as last offseason, after he posted an 0.60 ERA in his first 15 pro innings.

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