Paul Blackburn, a veteran right-hander, has signed a big-league contract with the New York Yankees, the team announced Thursday afternoon. The Yankees optioned fellow right-handed pitcher Allan Winans to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, freeing up a space on the major league roster for Blackburn. Blackburn is expected to play an extended relief role for the Yankees.

Blackburn, a 31-year-old former All-Star, was cut by the New York Mets earlier this week. During his seven appearances this season, four of which were starts, he recorded a 2.25 strikeout-to-walk ratio and a 6.85 ERA (59 ERA+). Baseball Reference estimated that his contributions fell short of the replacement-level threshold.

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Blackburn has thrown six pitches at least 5% of the time this season, according to the arsenal. His finest offerings are two breaking balls, a spike curveball and a sweeper, which are his third and fifth most frequently used weapons, respectively. To increase his output, the Yankees might want him to bombard the opponent with those pitches more frequently.

But Blackburn isn’t too distant from its brighter days. He recorded a 2.68 strikeout-to-walk ratio and a 4.43 ERA (89 ERA+) in 56 outings during the 2022–24 season. Even though those numbers don’t seem trustworthy, they helped him get selected for the 2022 American League All-Star squad while he was playing for Oakland Athletics.

Blackburn has, of course, had his share of injuries. He has needed six separate trips on the injured list since Opening Day 2023. This includes the deactivation due to a spinal fluid leak last fall.

Courtesy: https://sportshandle.com/, https://www.cbssports.com/, https://www.bettingnews.com/, https://www.covers.com