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Player Outlook
Paul Blackburn split the 2024 campaign between the A's and Mets, but he was limited to 14 starts as he battled foot, hand and back injuries. The latest of which was the back issue, and he underwent surgery in October to repair a leak of cerebrospinal fluid, but he's expected to be healthy by Opening Day. The right-hander dealt with some ups-and-downs when available and had a 4.66 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 59:21 K:BB across 75.1 innings. Blackburn is in a better situation in Queens and may have a bit more upside as a result, but he's still a risky bet due to his inconsistent track record and injury history.

Fantasy Stats

Year fpts
Fantasy Points
fpts/g
Fantasy Points per Game
ip
Innings Pitched
w
Wins
l
Losses
sv
Saves
so
Strikeouts
bb
Base on Balls (Walk)
era
Earned Run Average
whip
Walks and Hits Allowed Per Inning
2025 0.00 0.00
2024 152.510.9 75.3 5 4 59 21 4.66 1.29
2023 1607.6 103.7 4 7 104 43 4.43 1.54
3y Avg. 1719 96.7 5 6 84 31 4.47 1.37
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Fantasy Performance by Week
6%
Roster
1%
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Fantasy News

  • Mets' Paul Blackburn: Still in rotation mix

    Blackburn gave up three runs on five hits and two walks over 2.1 innings in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals. He failed to strike out a batter. While his final line was sketchy, Blackburn blanked the Nats through two innings before running out of gas in the third and serving up homers to CJ Abrams and James Wood. The right-hander appears to be on the outside looking in for a spot on the Opening Day rotation even with Sean Manaea (oblique) and Frankie Montas (lat) sidelined to begin the season, but with the Mets planning to deploy a six-man rotation somewhat liberally in 2025, Blackburn should get starting opportunities over the summer.
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  • Mets' Paul Blackburn: Bumpy outing Sunday

    Blackburn gave up four runs (three earned) on three hits and two walks over 1.1 innings in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Red Sox. He failed to strike out a batter. After tossing a scoreless inning in his spring debut last week, Blackburn ran into trouble against a Boston lineup that featured most of its likely Opening Day starters. The 31-year-old right-hander is competing in camp for a spot at the back of the Mets' injury-plagued rotation, but Blackburn will need better performances than this to climb over Tylor Megill and Griffin Canning on the depth chart.
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  • Mets' Paul Blackburn: Cleared for spring debut

    Blackburn (back) is scheduled to start Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Marlins, Tim Healey of Newsday reports. Blackburn will most likely be limited to one or two innings in his spring debut as he attempts to make his case for a spot in the Mets' Opening Day rotation. With Sean Manaea (oblique) and Frankie Montas (lat) both expected to begin the season on the injured list, the Mets should have at least two spots available at the back of the rotation for Blackburn, Tylor Megill and Griffin Canning. All three could end up breaking camp in starting roles if the Mets opt to go with a six-man rotation, something that president of baseball operations David Stearns said over the winter that he was expecting the team to implement in 2025.
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  • Mets' Paul Blackburn: Path clearing for rotation spot

    Blackburn (back) may be ticketed for a spot in the Opening Day rotation if Sean Manaea (oblique) begins the season on the injured list, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports. Blackburn will need to prove that he's healthy himself, of course, but Frankie Montas (lat) was already expected to be sidelined into May, so the Mets' rotation depth is being tested early. Kodai Senga, Clay Holmes and David Peterson are the only locks for starting jobs right now, with Blackburn, Griffin Canning and Tylor Megill competing for the remaining spots, but if New York sticks with its plan to use a six-man rotation, there would be room for all three. The Mets have three off days in the first 15 days of their schedule however, so they could delay those plans until mid-April. Blackburn underwent spinal surgery in October, but he's throwing live batting practice sessions in camp and is on track to be ready for Opening Day.
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  • Mets' Paul Blackburn: Throwing to hitters

    Blackburn (back) threw one inning of live batting practice Tuesday, Andrew Tredinnick of NorthJersey.com reports. Blackburn worked with the Mets this offseason to refine his sinker and sweeper with the goal of adding more run to his sinker and more horizontal movement to his sweeper to make it less of a slurve. He got off to a rough start with the Mets after getting traded from the A's last season, including a hand contusion and a spinal fluid leak in mid-September that ended his season. He had surgery Oct. 11 that came with a three-to-five month estimated recovery, and we'll be at five months in mid-March. Blackburn is understandably a little behind the likes of Tylor Megill, who is reportedly furthest along of Blackburn and Griffin Canning, all of whom are competing for the final two spots in the Mets' six-man rotation.
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  • Mets' Paul Blackburn: Slightly behind competition

    Blackburn (back) is a little behind the Mets' other rotation options at the start of spring training, Will Sammon and Tim Britton of The Athletic report. This is no real surprise, as Blackburn underwent spinal surgery in October. The 31-year-old right-hander made only five starts for the Mets in 2024 after being acquired from the A's, stumbling to a 5.18 ERA, 1.56 WHIP and 21:7 K:BB in 24.1 innings, and he's never thrown more than 111.1 innings in a big-league season. If he demonstrates he's fully recovered from the surgery and back to his pre-injury form, Blackburn should compete for the No. 6 starter role alongside Griffin Canning and Tylor Megill.
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  • Mets' Paul Blackburn: Avoids arbitration

    The Mets and Blackburn (back) avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year contract Thursday. Blackburn was eligible for arbitration for the third and final time. The veteran right-hander is recovering from back surgery but is expected to be ready for Opening Day. However, it appears unlikely at this juncture that there will be room for him in the Mets' rotation.
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  • Mets' Paul Blackburn: On track for Opening Day

    General manager David Stearns said Monday that Blackburn (back) is on track to be ready for Opening Day of the 2025 season, Tim Healey of Newsday reports. Blackburn was diagnosed with a cerebrospinal fluid leak in mid-September, which required him to undergo surgery Oct. 11. Barring any setbacks, the timeline for that surgery typically takes 4-to-5 months, and based on Stearns' comments Monday, it appears the 31-year-old right-hander will be ready to pitch for the start of the regular season. Blackburn started 14 regular-season games between the Mets and A's last season and posted a 5-4 record with a 4.66 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 59:21 K:BB across 75.1 innings, though whether he works out of the Mets' rotation or bullpen next year has yet to be determined.
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  • Mets' Paul Blackburn: Moved to 60-day IL

    Blackburn (back) was transferred to the 60-day injured list Saturday, per MLB's transaction log. Blackburn was placed on the 15-day injured list in late August due to a hand injury. He subsequently suffered a back issue and was diagnosed with a spinal fluid leak in mid-September. Blackburn's move to the 60-day IL officially ends his 2024 season. The transaction also clears way on the Mets' 40-man roster for Kodai Senga, who was activated from the 60-day IL in a corresponding move and is set to start Game 1 of the NLDS against the Phillies.
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  • Mets' Paul Blackburn: Hopes to return next week

    Blackburn (back) will play catch Wednesday and hopes to return from the 15-day injured list as soon as the middle of next week, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports. Blackburn is dealing with a spinal fluid leak but is feeling better after being given about 10 platelet-rich plasma injections. The right-hander hasn't pitched in two weeks, and the layoff, combined with how well the members of New York's rotation are currently pitching, means that Blackburn would likely return as a reliever once he's activated.
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  • Mets' Paul Blackburn: Diagnosed with spinal fluid leak

    President of baseball operations David Stearns said Saturday that Blackburn has a spinal fluid leak in his back, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports. The Mets aren't sure exactly how Blackburn suffered the injury, but the team is shutting him down for the time being. Stearns noted that the right-hander's injury isn't expected to be a long-term issue, though there's no telling how long he will be held out.
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  • Mets' Paul Blackburn: Out through this weekend

    Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Tuesday that Blackburn (hand/back) isn't feeling much better and won't be activated from the 15-day injured list to pitch against the Phillies this weekend, Tim Healey of Newsday reports. The 30-year-old was scheduled to start Monday against the Blue Jays after missing a couple weeks due to a bruised hand, but he ended up being scratched due to back discomfort. It's unclear when Blackburn will be able to return from the IL at this point, but he'll be sidelined for at least another week.
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  • Mets' Paul Blackburn: No longer starting Monday

    Blackburn (hand) is no longer in line to be activated from the 15-day injured list to start Monday's game in Toronto, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports. The Mets will give a spot start to Tylor Megill instead. Blackburn could be pushed back a day to start Tuesday in Toronto, though the team has not yet confirmed as much. He has missed the last two weeks with a right hand bruise but tossed 6.2 innings of one-run ball in a rehab start with Triple-A Syracuse last week.
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  • Mets' Paul Blackburn: Dealing with bruised hand

    Blackburn was diagnosed with a right hand contusion after getting hit by a comebacker during Friday's game against San Diego. Blackburn appears to have avoided a significant injury, but he's scheduled to undergo further testing Saturday. Once the results of those tests come back, a clearer picture will emerge regarding his status for his next start -- tentatively scheduled to come Thursday in Arizona. Blackburn has a 5.18 ERA, 1.56 WHIP and 21:7 K:BB through 24.1 innings since joining the Mets.
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  • Mets' Paul Blackburn: Hit in hand, exits game

    Blackburn was removed from his start Friday against the Padres after getting hit by a comebacker, Tim Healey of Newsday reports. Blackburn took a 100-mph line drive off his right (pitching) hand in the third inning. He'll presumably head in for imaging to determine if he suffered any structural damage, and his status for his next scheduled start against the Diamondbacks is uncertain. Before being pulled, the 30-year-old surrendered five earned runs on 10 hits while striking out one batter over 2.1 innings.
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  • Mets' Paul Blackburn: Fires six strong innings

    Blackburn pitched six innings of one-run ball in Sunday's loss to the Marlins, allowing four hits and one walk while striking out four. He did not factor into the decision. Coming off a brutal outing where he allowed six runs and took the loss against the Athletics, Blackburn fared much better Sunday, yielding just one run on a Nick Fortes sacrifice fly in the third inning. Blackburn turned in his seventh quality start of the season and now has three quality starts in four outings since being acquired by the Mets at the trade deadline. The 30-year-old owns a 3.68 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, and 20:7 K:BB in 22 innings with his new club. He is currently lined up to face the Padres next weekend.
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  • Mets' Paul Blackburn: Altered pitch mix with new team

    Blackburn has thrown his cutter and changeup more, at the expense of his four-seam fastball and curveball, since joining the Mets, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports. While the Mets' coaching staff didn't explicitly tell the right-hander to drop the curve and four-seamer from his arsenal, they did encourage Blackburn to lean more on the pitches that graded out the best. "I know my cutter is one of my better, if not my best pitch, analytically," Blackburn said. "I'm just kind of taking that and running with it. Really just using my best pitch as much as possible... There were times earlier this year where I did get beat on some fastballs, and after the fact, it's like 'What am I doing? Throwing my fourth- or fifth-best pitch?' " Blackburn has been a strong addition to the Mets' rotation since being acquired at the trade deadline, delivering back-to-back quality starts -- including one at Coors Field -- with a 12:4 K:BB in 12 innings.
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  • Mets' Paul Blackburn: Set for team debut Friday

    Blackburn is scheduled to make his first start for the Mets on Friday against the Angels in Anaheim, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports. Blackburn has yet to be officially added to the Mets' 26-man active roster after being acquired via trade from the Athletics on Tuesday, but that will happen this weekend. The right-hander has been limited to just nine starts this season because of a foot injury but has been decent when healthy, holding a 4.41 ERA and 38:14 K:BB over 51 innings. With Blackburn joining the rotation, the Mets will send No. 5 starter Tylor Megill to the bullpen, at least temporarily.
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  • Mets' Paul Blackburn: Heading to playoff contender

    The Mets acquired Blackburn from the Athletics on Tuesday in exchange for right-hander Kade Morris, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports. The Mets have been on the lookout for rotation reinforcements and have found one in Blackburn. The right-hander returned this past Friday from a stint on the 60-day injured list due to a stress reaction in his right foot, allowing four runs over five innings in his first start back with Oakland. Overall, Blackburn has posted a 4.41 ERA and 38:14 K:BB across 51 frames covering nine starts in 2024. He'll be under team control through 2025.
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  • Athletics' Paul Blackburn: Earns win in return

    Blackburn (4-2) allowed four runs on five hits and a walk while striking out two over five innings to earn the win Friday over the Angels. Blackburn's return from a stress reaction in his right foot got off to a rough start -- he allowed two-run home runs to Taylor Ward and Nolan Schanuel in the first inning. Manager Mark Kotsay let Blackburn work through the issues, and the right-hander did well to settle in before exiting after 72 pitches (41 strikes). He's now at a 4.41 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 38:14 K:BB through 51 innings over nine starts this season. Blackburn may have modest workload restrictions over his next one or two starts, and he's projected for a challenging home outing against the Dodgers next week.
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