A’s Trade RHP Paul Blackburn to the New York Mets

OAKLAND, Calif. — The Oakland A’s traded right-handed pitcher Paul Blackburn to the New York Mets for minor league right-handed pitcher Kade Morris, the club announced today.

Blackburn is 4-2 with a 4.41 ERA and .703 opponents OPS in nine starts in a season interrupted by a nearly 11-week stay on the injured list with a stress reaction of the fifth metatarsal of the right foot. This is his eighth season in the majors, all with the A’s, and he went 21-26 with a 4.83 ERA and .778 opponents OPS in 81 games, including 77 starts, in an Oakland uniform. The 30-year-old right-hander was originally acquired from Seattle for Danny Valencia on Nov. 12, 2016 and was an American League All-Star in 2022.

Morris was the Mets third round selection in the 2023 First-Year Player Draft and has combined for a 4-6 record a 3.51 ERA and .689 opponents OPS in 18 games, including 16 starts, with Single-A St. Lucie and High-A Brooklyn. He has held the opposition to a .233 batting average and has walked 30 while striking out 95 in 92. Innings. The 22-year-old right-hander made two starts in his professional debut last year and is 4-6 with a 3.48 ERA in 20 career appearances, including 18 starts. Morris was drafted out of the University of Nevada, Reno and was rated as the Mets 25th best prospect by MLB.com.