The New York Yankees are bringing back another familiar face.
New York agreed to a one-year, $2-million contract with right-hander Paul Blackburn on Saturday, a source told Jorge Castillo of ESPN.
The Yankees signed Blackburn following his release from the New York Mets in late August. He made eight relief appearances in pinstripes, posting a 5.28 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, and 16 strikeouts in 15 1/3 innings.
Blackburn's ERA is a bit misleading, however, as he allowed seven runs in his Yankees debut. He pitched much better following that blowup, posting a 1.50 ERA over his final five outings (12 innings), striking out 14 and walking only two.
While Blackburn can serve in a multi-inning relief role, he does have a lot of experience in the rotation, with 86 of his 101 MLB appearances coming as a starter. He didn't transition into a reliever until last season.
The Yankees have been relatively quiet so far this offseason. All four of the team's signings (Blackburn, Amed Rosario, Ryan Yarbrough, and Trent Grisham) involved bringing back players from last year's club.
