Getting to Know Paul Blackburn, The Newest Member of The New York Yankees

Paul Blackburn is a 31-year-old right-handed pitcher who debuted with the Oakland Athletics in 2017. Originally a compensatory first-round pick by the Chicago Cubs in 2012, Blackburn was traded to Seattle in 2016 and then to Oakland, where he spent the bulk of his career. Over eight seasons with the A’s (2017–2024), Blackburn went 22–28 with a 4.85 ERA (4.96 ERA career to date). His best year came in 2022, when a strong first half (6–5, 3.62 ERA through mid-season) earned him Oakland’s lone spot in the 2022 All-Star Game. Blackburn’s performance regressed later that year due to injury, but he had shown enough as a solid back-end starter that the A’s kept him around into 2023.

In 2023, Blackburn missed the first several weeks with a finger ailment but returned to post a 4.43 ERA in 21 games for Oakland. At the 2024 trade deadline, the rebuilding A’s dealt Blackburn to the New York Mets. He made 5 starts for the Mets to finish 2024, ending that season with a 5–4 record and 4.66 ERA overall. After an injury-plagued start to 2025 (detailed later), Blackburn was released by the Mets in August 2025. The Yankees signed the veteran righty on August 21, 2025, adding the former All-Star to their staff in a long relief role.

Blackburn’s 2025 season with the Mets was a turbulent one. Hampered by multiple IL stints, he managed only 7 MLB appearances (4 starts) and logged 23.2 innings. In that limited sample, he went 0–3 with a 6.85 ERA (59 ERA+), indicating performance well below league average. The surface stats are ugly, though some underlying metrics suggest he wasn’t quite as bad as the ERA implies. His FIP/xERA was in the mid-4s range, pointing to some bad luck on balls in play. Indeed, opponents hit .269 against him with a .374 wOBA, while his expected wOBA was a bit lower (.344), implying that he was hit hard but not quite to the degree the results showed. Blackburn’s game logs in June 2025 (after returning from an early-season IL stint) were rough, over six appearances he was tagged for a 7.71 ERA. One bright spot came on August 13, 2025, just after his second IL return: in a long relief outing against Atlanta, Blackburn delivered five scoreless innings of relief. It was a brief glimpse of effectiveness that likely intrigued the Yankees. Overall, however, consistency eluded him in 2025. His strikeout rate (around 16%) remained below average, and a high batting average on balls in play contributed to his bloated ERA. In short, 2025 has been a struggle, and Blackburn will be looking to turn the page with a fresh opportunity in pinstripes.

Recent Performance Trends

In the past couple of seasons, Blackburn has made some notable adjustments in an effort to improve his effectiveness. One key trend has been a shift in pitch usage. During 2022, he leaned heavily on sinkers (over 40% usage) and was more of a pitch-to-contact, groundball guy. But in 2023, Blackburn markedly increased his slider usage, from throwing it just ~4.5% of the time in 2022 to nearly 20% in 2023. This new slider (classified as a “sweeper” by Statcast) gave his arsenal a different look and helped boost his strikeout rate from a career ~15% up to 23.1% in 2023. The trade-off was fewer sinkers and grounders (his ground-ball rate dipped from ~49% to ~41% as he went more slider-heavy). Overall, the change paid some dividends: over his final 7 starts of 2023, he posted a 2.79 ERA with improved bat-missing ability. This suggests Blackburn was learning how to balance his contact management with some swing-and-miss. Yankees analytics may look to continue this trend by having him emphasize his breaking pitches when advantageous. Notably, as mentioned, his sweeper and spike curve are already his most effective weapons, and reports indicate the Yankees might encourage him to use those even more aggressively in relief.

Another trend has been a slight velocity uptick in recent years, albeit from a low baseline. In 2023, Blackburn’s fastball averaged about 91.9 mph, a career high for him. In spring 2025, there were reports his sinker velocity had ticked up close to 92 mph on average. While he’s never going to light up radar guns, any small gain in velocity can help his overall effectiveness, especially when working shorter stints out of the bullpen. It remains to be seen if the Yankees keep him in relief exclusively; if so, one might expect his stuff to play up a touch (perhaps sitting 92–93 with sinkers/cutters).

In terms of splits and situational usage, Blackburn doesn’t have extreme platoon splits, thanks to his changeup to neutralize lefties and cutter/sinker to handle righties. If anything, his sweeper can be a weapon to back-foot left-handers while the curveball is effective to righties. A trend to watch: how the Yankees deploy him. With Oakland, he was strictly a starter; the Mets tried a bit of both (even awarding him a save in one long relief outing). The Yankees may use him as a multi-inning reliever or spot starter. Recent outings (like the aforementioned 5-inning relief appearance) show he can handle a piggyback or long relief role, which is exactly what the Yankees indicated by signing him. Keep an eye on whether he flourishes by airing it out in shorter stints, perhaps relying more on the breaker-heavy approach to miss bats, as this could rejuvenate his performance.

Pitch Arsenal and Velocities

Blackburn is a true six-pitch pitcher, deploying a wide repertoire. In 2025 he has thrown six different pitches at least ~5% of the time. The table below breaks down his arsenal, with approximate usage rates this season and average velocities:

As the table shows, Blackburn primarily works with two fastballs (a sinking two-seamer and a cutter) in the low-90s and high-80s, respectively, while mixing in a four-seam heater on occasion. His secondary offerings include a mid-80s changeup and two distinct breaking balls, a sweeper/slider and a spike curve, both thrown around 80–82 mph but with different shapes. Notably, those breaking balls have been among his most effective pitches; in fact, his sweeper and curve have the highest whiff and put-away rates in his arsenal and are considered his best offerings. Don’t be surprised if the Yankees have Blackburn lean heavily on those breakers out of the bullpen, where he can “spam” hitters with spin to try to improve his results.

Strengths

Despite his recent struggles, Blackburn brings several positives to the mound. First and foremost is his pitch ability and command. He’s not a flamethrower, but he locates well and typically keeps his walk rate around 6–7%, better than league average. This good control helps him avoid free passes and sets up his deep pitch mix to keep hitters off balance.

Another strength is Blackburn’s ability to induce weak contact. During his 2022–23 span, he was among the elite at limiting hard-hit balls. In 2023, for example, his average exit velocity against was just 86.8 mph, ranking in the 88th percentile of MLB, and he allowed a mere 4.7% barrel rate (90th percentile). Hitters do not consistently square him up. He generates plenty of ground balls as well, thanks to that sinker and cutter. In his All-Star first half of 2022, he carried a hefty 48.7% groundball rate. Even with some arsenal changes (detailed below), he still hovers around 40% ground-ball rate, helping him keep the ball in the park (career 0.99 HR/9).

Blackburn’s experience and composure are also assets. He’s a nine-year veteran of the majors, so he’s faced plenty of tough lineups (including AL East teams) before. He won’t be fazed by a big moment and is known as a good teammate with a resilient mentality (he’s bounced back from demotions and injuries multiple times). For a Yankees club needing pitching depth, Blackburn’s ability to slot in as a swingman, making spot starts or eating innings in relief, is valuable. His diverse pitch selection and willingness to adjust give coaches different avenues to game-plan his usage.

Weaknesses

The most glaring weakness in Blackburn’s profile is his below-average velocity and lack of overpowering stuff. His fastball sits in the low 90s (around 91–92 mph), and even at its peak in 2023 was only about 92 mph on average. This below-average heater means Blackburn doesn’t blow hitters away; he relies on finesse, and when his command is off, he can be very hittable. Without premium velocity, he has a smaller margin for error, mistakes over the plate are more likely to be punished by hitters. Indeed, when Blackburn falls behind in counts and is forced to challenge with his fastball, he can get into trouble. Yankees fans may notice that his strikeout rate has historically been modest (career 17% K% range). While he bumped that up to roughly league-average levels in 2023 (around 23% K) by using more sliders, he’s still not a big strikeout pitcher.

Another concern is inconsistency. Blackburn has had stretches of excellent performance (e.g. early 2022, late 2023) followed by stretches of poor results. His career ERA of 4.96 reflects that up-and-down nature. Even within games, he can cruise through a lineup once and then struggle the second or third time through as hitters adjust. Some of this inconsistency ties back to his stuff, without a true plus pitch to finish hitters, rallies can snowball if his command falters. Additionally, while he possesses a wide repertoire, one could argue he lacks a single dominant “out pitch.” This can leave him nibbling at times and running up pitch counts. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, is durability. Blackburn’s availability has been a weakness, it’s hard to contribute if you’re frequently sidelined. His injury history is extensive, raising questions about how reliably he can take the mound every fifth day (or handle a multi-inning relief role consistently).

Bottom Line

Paul Blackburn is a crafty right-hander with a broad arsenal and All-Star pedigree, but also with an inconsistent track record and a litany of injuries. When healthy, he profiles as a back-end starter or long reliever who pounds the zone, keeps the ball on the ground, and coaxes soft contact with a mix of cutters, sinkers, and breaking balls. His 2025 performance was poor, but the Yankees are betting a change of scenery and role can rekindle his 2022–23 form. If he can stay off the IL, Blackburn could be a useful swingman who lengthens the staff and gives the Bombers a different look out of the bullpen. Yankees fans should temper expectations (he’s not a savior), but there’s some quiet upside here as a dependable, ground-ball oriented innings-eater, provided he can finally find some sustained health. In short, Blackburn is a worthwhile low-risk pickup: a former All-Star with savvy on the mound, looking for a fresh start in the Bronx. With some luck in the health department, he could become a solid supporting piece for the Yankees pitching staff.