Yankees news: Paul Blackburn re-signs with New York

Jon Heyman: How about a super-late Saturday night news dump? Just about half an hour before this article was set to go live, Jon Heyman reported that the Yankees were bringing back pitcher Paul Blackburn, who they picked up off the scrap heap in August 2025 in a manner quite similar to how they first acquired Luke Weaver back in 2023. They worked with Blackburn on his sinker and cutter, and he quietly had a 36.8-percent K-rate across 10 September innings (though he scuffled in his one playoff outing). Blackburn will make $2 million on a one-year deal, with $100K incentives for every 10 innings he reaches at 80 and above.

MLB.com | Joe Trezza: The offseason is a time for lists and rankings, and the farm system is no exception. The Yankees have a host of names atop their prospect rankings, but who precisely holds the best skills in the various scouting categories is an interesting track to follow ahead of 2026. The familiar names George Lombard Jr. and Spencer Jones make regular appearances here, but there’s also notable honorary mentions to prospects like Dax Kilby getting into the mix already. The Yankee farm may not be the upper echelon of the league, but they consistently find enough diamonds to keep the promise of young talent alive.

New York Post | Peter Botte: Anthony Volpe’s struggles at the plate have been dissected by just about everyone in the media landscape, and one of New York’s former authorities on hitting in the Bronx has weighed in as well. Alex Rodriguez was on WFAN to talk about the pinstripes, and noted that Volpe’s game around speed and getting on base hasn’t found any footing in the bigs, calling it a part of “an organization hitting philosophy that is absolutely broken,” part of a larger spread of critiques A-Rod has had about the Yankee lineup over the last year or so — though it is worth noting that they’ve had the highest OBP, most homers, and best wRC+ in baseball since the start of 2024.

MLB Trade Rumors | Anthony Franco: The official numbers for the 2025 luxury tax came out the other day, and the Yankees clocked in at $61.8 million over the threshold. The numbers are well tracked throughout the year, and we have a great estimate of how close teams are to the ceiling of each luxury tax bracket, but the exact numbers are sometimes a surprise — the Rangers, for instance, may have been surprised to find themselves just a mere $190,000 above the tax this year and now face a third-time offense pay rate. Of note for New York is that their level of compensation for free agents who declined the qualifying offer would’ve been capped at a fourth-round pick, adding further evidence that they must’ve felt comfortable bringing Trent Grisham back on a one-year pact if that was all that they would’ve gotten for him walking.

NJ.com | Adam Zagoria: There’s been a trend of former Yankees finding themselves on the other side of town lately, aside from the most notable swap in Juan Soto last year. All three of their latest closers now are wearing Mets uniforms with Luke Weaver joining Devin Williams and Clay Holmes in Queens, and when asked about this recent phenomenon, Aaron Boone said it’s “not quite the Bronx.” After the quip, Boone did have some warm words to say about Weaver as he was the latest to sign there, saying he was “happy to see him rewarded” for his overall great track record as a Yankee.