In an active trade deadline, the New York Mets managed to supplement their roster — though not in a flashy way — on Tuesday with a few deals for pitching and avoided dealing from the top of their farm system.
The Mets acquired some back-end help for their rotation by getting right-handed starter Paul Blackburn in a trade with the Oakland Athletics, a league source confirmed to The Athletic. The Mets later officially announced the deal, which sends minor-league right-hander Kade Morris to Oakland.
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Soon after getting the trade for Blackburn over the finish line, the Mets struck a pair of deals for bullpen help. With the first, they acquired right-hander Tyler Zuber from the Tampa Bay Rays for minor-league pitcher Paul Gervase. In the second, they added right-hander Huascar Brazobán from the Miami Marlins in exchange for minor-league infielder Wilfredo Lara.
Blackburn came to the A’s in a deal that sent Danny Valencia to the Mariners in November 2016 and was the A’s longest-tenured player. He made his major-league debut in 2017 and struggled in sparse MLB opportunities in 2018-21 before a big rebound season in 2022, when he was an All-Star.
Blackburn, 30, has a 4.41 ERA through 51 innings (nine starts with 14 walks and 38 strikeouts). Blackburn did not allow a run in his first 22 1/3 innings of 2024, the longest scoreless streak in franchise history by an Athletics starter to open the season. He was on the injured list from May 13 to July 26 with a stress reaction of the fifth metatarsal of his right foot. For his career, Blackburn owns just an 84 ERA+ (below average) and a 4.83 ERA (404 career innings).
Mets acquiring reliever Huascar Brazobán from Marlins, source tells @TheAthletic.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 30, 2024
After recent injuries to Kodai Senga (calf) and Christian Scott (elbow), the Mets needed to fortify their rotation. A mid-rotation addition made some sense. The Mets wanted to help their pitching staff but were reluctant to give up much in return. The market made such a stance difficult with a few pitchers — rentals and those under club control — netting multiple intriguing prospects across the industry.
The Mets’ rotation features concerns about workload and performance. Their starters had a combined 3.6 fWAR ahead of Monday’s game, which ranked 27th in MLB.
The Mets are sending Kade Morris to Oakland in the Paul Blackburn trade, league source tells @TheAthleticMLB.
— Will Sammon (@WillSammon) July 30, 2024
Luis Severino, the Mets’ best available starter, is up to 120 2/3 innings after throwing just 209 1/3 innings the previous five years combined. Sean Manaea was not a full-time starter last year. Jose Quintana is 35 years old. David Peterson and Tylor Megill have never demonstrated an ability to pitch beyond the fifth inning with much success. Beyond those five — Christian Scott (elbow) is out indefinitely — the Mets do not have much in the form of reliable depth. Adding a decent starter could bump Megill or Peterson out of the rotation (both have minor-league options) and help cover innings over the final two months.
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Regardless of how this season goes for the Mets, they’ll have holes in their rotation. Severino and Quintana will be free agents and Manaea (player option) might join them, too. So Blackburn might come in handy next year as well as a back-end option.
Morris, the Mets’ 2023 third-round pick out of Nevada-Reno, did not crack The Athletic’s Keith Law’s top-20 list of prospects before the season, but Law included the right-hander in his “others to note” section. Law wrote Morris is someone with a “55 slider who pitched competitively in a high-altitude environment in college, probably a reliever but with a real shot to make it as a back-end starter.”
Brazobán, 34, is under club control through the 2028 season and he has minor-league options left. The Marlins had used him in a multi-inning role. Through 20 games (30 2/3 innings), he has a 2.93 ERA with 34 strikeouts and 11 walks.
Zuber, 29, appeared in just three games for the Rays, allowing one run in 3 1/3 innings. He has a minor-league option remaining, according to FanGraphs. Gervase is not one of the Mets’ top-ranked prospects but attracted some buzz in the industry over the last couple of years.
In 22 games (27 2/3 innings) with Double-A Binghamton, Gervase had a 3.25 ERA with 46 strikeouts.
(Photo of Paul Blackburn: Robert Edwards / USA Today)
Will Sammon is a staff writer for The Athletic, covering the New York Mets and Major League Baseball. A native of Queens, New York, Will previously covered the Milwaukee Brewers and Florida Gators football for The Athletic, starting in 2018. Before that, he covered Mississippi State for The Clarion-Ledger, Mississippi’s largest newspaper. Follow Will on Twitter @WillSammon
