NEW YORK (AP) — Staying on the hunt for pitching, the New York Mets acquired starter Paul Blackburn from the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday for minor league right-hander Kade Morris.
Blackburn was an All-Star in 2022 but has had trouble staying healthy at times. He missed more than two months this season with a stress reaction in his right foot before coming off the 60-day injured list last Friday and earning a win over the Los Angeles Angels by allowing four runs over five innings.
The 30-year-old right-hander is 4-2 with a 4.41 ERA in nine starts this year and figures to slot into a rotation missing injured ace Kodai Senga and rookie Christian Scott. Blackburn remains under team control next season and can become a free agent following the 2025 World Series.
In the past few weeks, Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns found help for a shaky and injury-ravaged bullpen by acquiring veteran relievers Phil Maton and Ryne Stanek.
Following a poor start, the Mets have surged back into the playoff chase behind the major leagues’ highest-scoring lineup over the last two months. New York began the day holding one of three National League wild cards in a crowded race.
Morris, 22, was 4-6 with a 3.51 ERA in 16 starts and two relief appearances with Class A St. Lucie and High-A Brooklyn this year. He was a third-round draft pick by the Mets in 2023 out of the University of Nevada.
Not long before baseball’s 6 p.m. EDT trade deadline, New York also obtained reliever Tyler Zuber from the Tampa Bay Rays for minor league right-hander Paul Gervase. In a corresponding move, right-hander Ty Adcock was designated for assignment.
Zuber, 29, pitched in two games for Tampa Bay this season, allowing one run and striking out four in 3 1/3 innings. He was 3-0 with a 2.49 ERA and 29 strikeouts over 21 2/3 innings in 18 games at Triple-A Durham.
Zuber also appeared in 54 big league games with Kansas City from 2020-21 and is 1-5 with a 5.13 ERA in the majors.
Earlier in the day, New York traded Triple-A lefty Josh Walker to Pittsburgh for minor league left-hander Nicolas Carreno. Walker made 24 appearances for the Mets over the past two seasons.
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