Inside The Mets

New York Mets starter called team's most likely trade candidate

Are the Mets preparing to trade this veteran starting pitcher?
Grant Young|
Aug 2, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Paul Blackburn (58) pitches during the first inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
Aug 2, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Paul Blackburn (58) pitches during the first inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

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New York Mets

The New York Mets' coaching staff and front office have some interesting decisions in front of them when it comes to the team's starting rotation.

Even though the Mets' offense has simmered down after their incredible start to the season, it's going to be hard to remove any of the current arms from the rotation at this point. While this could change in the coming weeks or months, there's no doubt that there will be a log-jam of starting arms once Sean Manaea, Frankie Montas, and Paul Blackburn all return from injury.

This is why it wasn't a surprise to see Blackburn listed as the Mets' 'Most Likely Player to Be Traded' in a May 21 article from Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller.

"Paul Blackburn has yet to pitch in the majors this season. But he's getting close, logging 73 pitches in a rehab start last Friday. What are the Mets planning to do with him, though?" Miller wrote.

"Their current rotation has been arguably the best in the majors to date, and they have both Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas likely to make their 2025 season debuts some time in June. Hard to envision them trying to squeeze him in there, unless someone else gets hurt.

"There has been speculation of using Blackburn as a middle reliever, but why bother stretching him out in the minors if that's the plan for the rest of the season?" he added.

"Kind of feels like they're just getting him ready to be made available to the highest bidder.

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"Not that there's any reason to anticipate a particularly high bid. He has a 5.11 ERA over the past seven seasons, and this spring has been a far cry from the first rehab assignment of his injury-plagued career. Though he is in his final year of arbitration eligibility, he's only making $4.05M," Miller continued.

"But that's a price point that makes him an attractive back-of-the-rotation option for any team in need."

Time will tell whether Blackburn ends up being the odd-man out in the Mets' rotation, and whether that means he'll get dealt by the trade deadline.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers the New York Mets and Women’s Basketball for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco, where he also played Division 1 baseball for five years. He believes Mark Teixeira should have been a first ballot MLB Hall of Fame inductee.

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