The Yankees are bringing back another member of their 2025 squad.
With fans still waiting on an external addition outside of the Rule 5 Draft and a decision from Cody Bellinger, a source confirmed to the Daily News late Saturday night that the Bombers have agreed to a one-year deal with Paul Blackburn. The pact, still not official, will guarantee the right-hander $2 million.
Blackburn can make another $100,000 each for 80, 90, 100, 110 and 120 innings pitched.
The New York Post’s Jon Heyman first reported Blackburn’s agreement.
Blackburn, 32, didn’t pitch particularly well in 2025, totaling a 6.23 ERA over 39 innings for the Mets and Yankees. He dealt with a few injuries while in Queens, including knee inflammation and a shoulder impingement, before getting released in August. He then posted a 5.28 ERA over 15.1 innings after signing with the Yanks.
However, Blackburn’s numbers with the Yankees were inflated by a seven-run, mop-up debut for the club, and he recorded a 1.50 ERA over his last 12 innings of the regular season. That got him a spot on the Yankees’ postseason rosters; Blackburn gave up four earned runs over 1.1 innings in Game 1 of the ALDS.
Blackburn’s small sample of pre-playoff, low-leverage success coincided with the Yankees tweaking his arsenal. He drastically increased the usage of his sinker and cutter and limited his sweeper, among other changes, after arriving in the Bronx, and he also improved his strikeout, walk and groundball rates.
That left the Yankees seeing some upside, much like they did with Luke Weaver at the end of the 2023 season. Weaver, previously a journeyman starter, then signed a similar deal to Blackburn’s and reinvented himself as a solid reliever with the Yankees. He just parlayed that into a two-year, $22 million deal with the Mets.
Like Weaver, Blackburn spent a good chunk of his career starting before he became a Yankee. While he figures to impact their bullpen first and foremost, he theoretically adds some rotation depth to a team that has a lot of starters but a lot of questions and concerns among them.
At the very least, Blackburn can provide length in a pen that still needs established, high-leverage help.
A nine-year pro, the former Athletic has a 4.97 ERA over 467.1 innings pitched.
Blackburn is the latest 2025 Yankee to return to the club, as he joins Trent Grisham, Ryan Yarbrough and Amed Rosario.
