The Mets granted Blackburn his unconditional release Monday, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.
Blackburn cleared waivers after the Mets removed him from the 40-man roster Saturday, and since he was unlikely to accept an assignment to the minors, the organization has allowed him to test the open market. The 31-year-old right-hander has ample big-league experience with 93 appearances (86 starts) over the past nine seasons, but he struggled over his seven outings (four starts) with New York in 2025, logging a 6.85 ERA, 1.65 WHIP and 18:8 K:BB in 23.2 innings. Blackburn may have a tough time landing a major-league deal in light of his poor production, but his body of work should be enough to earn him a minor-league deal with an organization looking to bolster its starting depth at the Triple-A level.