I would try to bring Paul Blackburn back. I wouldn't give him a long contract on the assumption that the Yankees just found a reliever who will run a 1.59 ERA every year.
Those positions aren't contradictory. Blackburn was excellent over 85 innings in 2026, and replacing that much useful work is an actual offseason expense. His next deal still needs to reflect more than the most flattering number on his stat line.
Sep 13, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees relief pitcher Paul Blackburn (58) at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Blackburn made 62 appearances, including two starts, and finished with a 1.08 WHIP. Opponents hit .195 against him. A pitcher who can give the club that much work without allowing many baserunners has obvious value, particularly when the bullpen needs more than three outs from somebody.
He also struck out 69 hitters and walked 33. His 7.31 strikeouts per nine innings were lower than his 7.85 rate in 2025, while his walks per nine rose from 2.77 to 3.49. The comparison uses his combined 2025 major-league season rather than his short Yankees stint alone.
That doesn't erase his improvement. It does mean the ERA drop wasn't accompanied by a jump in strikeouts or better walk control. I'd want the Yankees to price the full profile rather than treat the run prevention as a guarantee.
Eleven of the 27 runners Blackburn inherited scored, or 40.7%. Those runs generally belong to the pitcher who put them on, so they don't appear as earned runs on Blackburn's record.
Twenty-seven runners is a small sample, and the number doesn't tell us which bases were occupied, how many outs he inherited or what the defense did behind him. It would be unfair to declare him incapable of handling a jam from that figure alone. It would also be careless to ignore it when deciding whether to pay him like a top late-inning strikeout arm.
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For me, the fit is a dependable pitcher who can start an inning, keep the game close and occasionally cover more than three outs. Bringing him back for that job leaves room to pursue a different type of reliever for situations where the Yankees need a strikeout with runners on.
Blackburn is headed toward free agency , so the team won't get to set the price by itself. Another club may be willing to pay more for his innings and results. There's no reported offer or bidding war behind my concern; it's how I'd approach the decision before negotiations start.
A short multiyear deal would be reasonable if the cost still allows the Yankees to improve the rest of the bullpen. I'd be much less comfortable adding years just to beat another offer. Blackburn has earned a raise and a serious retention effort, but the Yankees need to pay for the job they want him to do, not buy the ERA and figure out the role afterward.
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