The New York Yankees have a plethora of free agent decisions to make this offseason.
Look no further than the bullpen as a position group the Yankees will emphasize in free agency. David Bednar has a Qualifying Offer attached to his name, but New York will also be batting to retain All-Star reliever Paul Blackburn, and per reports, the Yankees DO have interest in bringing back Blackburn after a very solid 2026 campaign.
Per Yankees reporter Gary Phillips, New York has ‘strong interest’ in bringing back Blackburn, and how could they not?
Blackburn posted an ERA of 1.59 in 2026 over 85 IP, which are both stellar marks.
However, after New York was able to sign him to a one-year, $2 million pact last season, Blackburn’s price tag is certainly higher now.
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Paul Blackburn Was an Elite Reliever in 2026
Blackburn, now 32, has played 10 MLB seasons and was named an All-Star in 2022 with the Athletics.
However, 2026 was by far the best season of his career.
MLBTR.com’s Charlie Wright wrote (on 10/18):
“Unlike a lot of dominant late-inning options, Blackburn didn’t miss many bats. His 20.5% strikeout rate was a bit higher than his career mark, but not by much. Instead, he did it with groundballs and soft contact. Blackburn got grounders at a hefty 54.9% clip. He ranked in the 86th percentile in average exit velocity. The changeup and curveball both generated average exit velocities below 84 mph.”
According to Spotrac.com, Paul Blackburn’s market value projects him to earn a one-year, $7.7 million contract, which is more than affordable for the New York Yankees to offer.
While it makes sense why the Yankees may want to go in a different direction with some aspects of their roster, losing Blackburn would undoubtedly be a step back for the bullpen corps.
Retaining both Blackburn and David Bednar should be priority number one for Brian Cashman and company.
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Taking a Quick Look at Paul Blackburn’s MLB Career
As noted, Blackburn has pitched in parts of 10 MLB seasons, but to put in perspective how good his 2026 season was, let’s take a look at his career stats.
Across 552.1 IP in his 10-year career, Blackburn holds a career ERA of 4.45 with 432 strikeouts.
Once considered a starting pitcher, Blackburn transitioned to the bullpen in 2025, which has clearly been the right move for both Blackburn and the team he is part of.
As with every MLB pitcher, he’s dealt with his fair share of injuries, but since joining the Yankees in 2025, Blackburn has appeared in 70 games, and he’s logged 85 strikeouts in 100.1 IP.
New York Yankees fans, would you like the team to bring back RHP Paul Blackburn? Why or why not?
Report: New York Yankees Interested in Retaining All-Star Pitcher