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The New York Mets were pretty active at the trade deadline, making numerous moves to upgrade a roster that, after a run fueled by a McDonald’s mascot and a hit pop single from their second baseman, found themselves firmly back in playoff contention after looking like the season was destined for failure just weeks before.
However, the Mets’ best acquisition may have been the player they never intended to trade for.
Mets: Paul Blackburn has looked like an ace
Following the injuries to the starting staff of Christian Scott (who went down with a right UCL sprain) and 2023 all-star Kodai Senga (who lasted just one start before going down with a regular season-ending calf sprain), president of baseball operations David Stearns went to work to add another arm and found a partner in the Oakland Athletics, who sent former all-star Paul Blackburn to the Mets.
After an injury-riddled start to the 2024 campaign, where the right-hander missed over two months due to a right foot stress reaction and made just nine starts, pitching 51 innings to a 4.41 ERA with a 1.16 WHIP while striking out 38, it was a question exactly what quality of a pitcher the Mets were getting.
The California native has been much better than the Mets could have imagined he would be. Since donning the blue and orange, Blackburn has looked like a different pitcher, pitching to a stellar 1.50 ERA across 12 innings with a 1.25 WHIP and 12 strikeouts.
“I’m just trying to go out and keep us in the game as long as I possibly can,” Blackburn said after Wednesday’s start against the Colorado Rockies. “The team, in general, is unbelievable. You look around, and it’s just big name after big name. I’m just trying to go out and attack guys, keep my head down, and put us in the best situation to win.”
Blackburn is scheduled to return to the bump on Tuesday when he takes on his former team for the first time at Citi Field and will look to continue to be the best acquisition for the Mets at this year’s trade deadline.
More must-reads:
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Yankees Favorites to Land Dodgers Pitcher
The New York Yankees have yet to acquire a pitcher at this year's trade deadline, though that could change in short order. According to On SI's Pat Ragazzo, the Yankees have emerged as the early favorites to land Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Dustin May. May's name has floated around in trade talks quite a bit recently, with The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal previously stating that the Dodgers would prefer to land an outfielder in exchange for the 27-year-old rather than a reliever. "If the Dodgers move right-handed starter Dustin May, it likely would be for an outfielder and not a reliever, according to a source briefed on the club’s plans," Rosenthal wrote. "The team’s preference is to trade from its farm system as opposed to its major-league roster. Moving May for a reliever would seem pointless when the Dodgers could use him to fill that role himself." New York has a surplus of outfielders to deal from, even with Aaron Judge on the injured list. Trent Grisham's name has popped up in rumors, as has Jasson Dominguez's, but it's unlikely that the Yankees would trade either in order to acquire a rental pitcher who's struggled to the tune of a 4.85 ERA over 19 outings (18 starts) this season. Considering Grisham is also a rental, however, maybe the Yankees would give thought to swapping the 28-year-old center fielder for May given how desperate they are for pitching. It's unknown whether New York would place May in its bullpen or rotation if it were to land him. Injuries have been a constant throughout his major league career, evidenced by the fact that he's only thrown in just 39 games since 2021, so perhaps the Yankees could preserve his arm by making him a full-time reliever. It remains to be seen if trade talks between the Dodgers and Yankees progress, but May would certainly make for an intriguing and much-needed addition to a pitching staff that's posted the league's worst ERA (6.13) since July 1. Make sure to bookmark Yankees On SI to get all your daily New York Yankees news, interviews, breakdowns and more! Yankees Could Trade for Aaron Judge Replacement Yankees Trade Veteran Pitcher to Braves Yankees Need Massive Offer to Trade This Prospect Yankees Legend Inducted Into MLB Hall of Fame Yankees Give Timeline for Aaron Judge Return
Titans officially give up on this former first-round pick
The Tennessee Titans have officially given up on one of their former first-round draft picks. Wide receiver Treylon Burks has been waived by the Titans, the team announced on Monday. The decision to cut Burks comes two days after the 25-year-old suffered a broken collarbone during training camp practice. Burks injured himself while making a fantastic one-handed catch on a deep ball from rookie quarterback Cam Ward. Early reports suggest Burks will be out for several weeks and miss the start of the 2025 season. The Titans drafted Burks with the No. 18 overall pick in 2022. They acquired the selection when they traded A.J. Brown to the Philadelphia Eagles, and they had hoped the former Arkansas star would eventually develop into their top wide receiver. Burks, a three-time All-SEC selection, battled injuries throughout his first three NFL seasons. He played in just five games last year and finished with four catches. Ward said last week that he believed Burks was going to be one of Tennessee’s “best targets” this season, so the timing of the injury was unfortunate.
Oilers to Acquire a Top-Tier Goalie. An Official Trade Offer Is on the Table in a Blockbuster Deal
‘On The Ground For A Couple Of Minutes’: Dallas Cowboys Starter Suffers Painful Injury
The Dallas Cowboys have lost two starting offensive linemen in two days. Earlier on Monday, reports surfaced that offensive guard Rob Jones broke a bone in his neck during Sunday’s practice at the River Ridge Fields in Oxnard, California. Jones is expected to miss two to three months and could leave the team leaning on rookie Tyler Booker to protect quarterback Dak Prescott in Week 1 when they play the Philadelphia Eagles. Dallas Cowboys OL Tyler Guyton suffered an injury On Monday, starting left tackle Tyler Guyton exited practice with an injury. “Cowboys LT Tyler Guyton went down during training camp and, after being on the ground for a couple of minutes, gingerly walked to the locker room with some help,” posted Ari Meirov of the 33rd Team. Guyton, 24, was the Cowboys’ 2024 first-round pick out of Oklahoma. He appeared in 15 games last season and started in 11. As of this publishing, it’s unclear how serious the injury is to the six-foot-eight, 322-pound athlete. Per OurLads, Asim Richard is listed as Dallas’ backup LT on the depth chart. The Cowboys drafted Richards in the fifth round in 2023. He’s appeared in 21 games and started one. The injuries are starting to mount for the Cowboys’ offensive line, and that’s a concern for an offense that needs to protect Prescott, coming off a season-ending injury in 2024.
New suitor emerges for Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suarez
The Arizona Diamondbacks have plenty of suitors for third baseman Eugenio Suarez. A new team has reportedly entered the market for his services. Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the Phillies have reached out regarding Suarez. While Lauber did not provide any indication as to whether or not those talks have gained traction, the Phillies are an intriguing suitor for the Diamondbacks' third baseman. The Phillies' interest may be a recent development. Jon Heyman of the New York Post speculated on Friday that the Phillies could emerge as a suitor in the wake of third baseman Alec Bohm landing on the injured list with a fractured left rib. Suarez is in the midst of what is arguably his best season thus far. He has produced a .249/.321/.587 batting line in 421 plate appearances entering Saturday with 36 homers and a major league-leading 87 RBI. Suarez would be more than just another powerful bat in the lineup. Designated hitter Kyle Schwarber and first baseman Bryce Harper are both left-handed hitters — adding Suarez would provide more balance in the batting order. He would also provide a counter against opposing managers bringing in a lefty reliever to face Schwarber and Harper. The biggest question would be how the Phillies would handle an eventual logjam on the roster. Bohm is expected to return from the IL in mid-August and would not have a clear path to regular at-bats if Suarez were acquired. Schwarber could theoretically return to left field to open up playing time at the DH spot, but his outfield defense is mediocre at best. However, as the Phillies are also looking to upgrade the outfield, where Max Kepler and Brandon Marsh have been disappointments, adding Suarez could solve several problems in one fell swoop.
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