Right-hander Paul Blackburn stays with Yankees for $2 million, 1-year contract, AP source says

By: Ronald Blum, The Associated Press Posted: 12:10 AM CST Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025 Last Modified: 12:26 AM CST Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025

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NEW YORK (AP) — Right-hander Paul Blackburn is remaining with the New York Yankees, agreeing Saturday to a $2 million, one-year contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 21/12/2025 (238 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the agreement was subject to a successful physical.

A former All-Star, Blackburn can earn an additional $500,000 in performance bonuses for innings: $100,000 each for 80, 90, 100, 110 and 120.

FILE - New York Yankees relief pitcher Paul Blackburn delivers during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles, Sept. 18, 2025, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough, File)

Blackburn, who turned 32 on Dec. 4, gives the Yankees pitching depth for a rotation that will be without Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón at the start of the season. Cole is expected to return to the Yankees in May or June following Tommy John surgery on March 11, and Rodón is projected back in late April or May after surgery on Oct. 15 to remove loose bodies in his left elbow and shave a bone spur.

Blackburn could slot into the rotation alongside Max Fried, Cam Schlittler, Will Warren and Luis Gil, with Ryan Yarbrough also a possibility. Blackburn signed with the Yankees on Aug. 21 after he was released by the New York Mets, and had a 5.28 ERA in eight relief appearances. He gave up four runs and six hits over 1 1/3 innings against Toronto in his only postseason outing.

Overall, Blackburn was 0-3 with a 6.28 ERA this year in four starts and 11 relief appearances. He is 22-31 with a 4.97 ERA in 86 starts and 15 relief outings over nine seasons with the Athletics (2017-24), the Mets (2024-25) and the Yankees.

He was obtained by the Mets from the A’s on July 30, 2024, and made five starts before he was diagnosed with a spinal fluid leak in his back and had season-ending surgery.

Blackburn signed a $4.5 million, one-year contract, began 2025 on the injured list with right knee inflammation, and an illness delayed his season debut until June 3. After compiling a 7.71 ERA in six appearances, Blackburn returned to the IL with a right shoulder impingement before getting activated Aug. 13 and released three days later.