The Mets have requested unconditional release waivers on right-hander , according to . Blackburn was designated for a signment on Saturday when the Mets called up . A release was a likely outcome once Blackburn was bumped from the 40-man roster. With the deadline having pa sed, a trade was not Luka Doncic Jersey a po sibility. The Mets could have opted for outright waivers but Blackburn has five-plus years of service time, meaning he has the right to reject an outright a signment and elect free agency while retaining his remaining salary commitments. The Mets have skipped that formality and put Blackburn on release waivers instead. It doesnt seem especially likely that any club would claim him. Blackburn is making $4.05MM this year, which leaves about $900K still to be paid out. Thats not a ma sive sum relative to season-long MLB payrolls but would be a decent amount for just a few weeks of work. Blackburn has spent most of this season on the injured list and has a 6.85 earned run average in the seven appearances he has made, which should tamp down the interest. If he clears waivers, the Mets will remain on the hook for the money. Any other club could sign Blackburn and would only have to pay him the prorated version of the $760K league minimum salary. That would be about $150K or so if Blackburn gets a spot somewhere quick and holds it for the rest of the year, far le s than the amount required to claim him off waivers. Any amount paid by another club would be subtracted from what the Mets pay. As mentioned, Blackburn has been injured and not terribly effective this year, but the sample size is small. Injury absences are nothing new for him, as hes actually never even thrown 112 innings in a big league season. However, the results have occasionally been decent. From 2022 to 2024, he to sed a combined 290 1/3 innings with a 4.43 ERA, 20.2% strikeout rate, 7.5% walk rate and 44.8% ground ball rate. His 2025 hasnt been at that level but team may overlook that. Adding to a roster is tough now that the trade deadline has pa sed, yet teams always need arms as injuries pop up. Blackburn has some decent results on his track record and will be e sentially free. Photo courtesy of Jason Parkhurst, Imagn Images Trey Burke Jersey