This is not going to soothe the growing panic in the Bronx. The New York Yankees fans were dreaming of frontline starters, impact trades, and home run hitters. They were screaming for GM Brian Cashman to do something - anything.
But, maybe not this.
Paul Blackburn is back with the Yankees, according to New York Post columnist Jon Heyman.
For a fan base that has been refreshing feeds waiting for a headline name, the reaction is predictable. This is the move? After all that? Blackburn’s return is the kind of transaction that makes fans shrug.
Blackburn, 31, is not unknown here.
Yankees fans saw him already, and they know exactly what he is. He is a command-first right-hander who lives on the edges, avoids walks, and tries to get through lineups without fireworks. He pitched to a 6.23 ERA over 15 appearances with the Mets and Yankees last season.
It feels especially underwhelming when the Yankees watched Devin Williams and Luke Weaver, two of their last three closers, walk as free agents -- and end up across town with the Mets.
The health questions only amplify that reaction.
Blackburn’s career has been interrupted more than once, most notably by a stress fracture that ended his 2023 season. When he is healthy, he can give a team innings. When he is not, the margin is thin. Yankees fans have seen enough to know how quickly that becomes a problem.
The Yankees are surely bringing Blackburn in as depth, and will not panic if asked to pitch through traffic.
That logic does not make it exciting. It makes it practical. And practicality has rarely been the selling point in the Bronx.
This move is also a quiet reminder of where the Yankees actually are. They are trying to keep the floor from collapsing while they wait for a bigger move.
It is not the move fans wanted. It is the move that tells you the Yankees are still bracing for a long season.
