Cedric Mullins is reportedly headed back to the AL East, only this time he’s slated to suit up with the Rays. Tampa Bay will add Mullins, a former 30-home run hitter who’s coming off arguably the worst of his MLB career, on a short-term deal.
A Look at Mullins
Four years ago, Cedric Mullins was one of the dynamic players in all of Major League Baseball. This past season, though, Mullins finished in the bottom half of the league in wOBA and produced the lowest slugging percentage of his MLB career (.391).
A quick rewind back to 2021: on a poor Orioles team, Mullins was a shining star. The now-31-year-old outfielder belted 30 home runs and stole 30 bases to join an illustrious club. Mullins turned himself into a key piece of the Orioles’ rebuild, one that saw Baltimore go from the cellar to AL East champion in a matter of years.
Mullins, to his credit, played a big role in that. While he didn’t reach the 20-home run plateau again, Mullins wound up hitting 15+ home runs in each of his next four seasons with the O’s. Not to mention, he was a menace on the basepaths, as he stole 30+ bases two more times in Baltimore.
A speedy defender who ranked either above-average or well-above-average in center, Mullins made himself an attractive target for contenders in 2025. The Orioles dealt Mullins at the deadline for three relief pitchers, highlighted by hard-thrower Raimon Gomez and strikeout machine Anthony Nunez.
However, things went awry for the Mets over the final two months. Mullins played an unfortunate role in the Mets’ collapse, as he slashed .182/.284/.281 over 42 games with the Mets. His .565 OPS was the 25th-worst in baseball among players with 95+ PA. And over the last week of the year, he mostly sat on the bench in favor of Tyrone Taylor.
He finished 175th in wOBA (.302), among the 242 players with 350+ plate appearances last season.
The strikeouts and the swings-and-misses were up for Mullins. Ordinarily an aggressive hitter at the plate who will expand the zone, Mullins saw his K% tick up to 24.4% over the final two months, well above the roughly 18-22% from the past season.
From a tools standpoint, Mullins is a strong player. He possesses very good range in center and has a good-enough arm in the outfield to throw out runners, if necessary. Back in 2022, Mullins had nine assists.
Offensively, Mullins doesn’t possess elite bat speed or pop. Even though he once was a 30-home run hitter, Mullins’ batted-ball profile leans to the pull side. While in Baltimore, Mullins was able to take full advantage of a short porch in Camden Yards.
Per reports, Cedric Mullins will sign with the Rays on a one-year deal.
Analysis
As of now, the Rays have plenty of outfielders on the 40-man roster. There are currently eight, including Chandler Simpson, Jake Mangum, Josh Lowe, Jonny DeLuca, Richie Palacios, and Jake Fraley.
Given that Simpson is ticketed for left and Lowe in right field, it would make sense for Mullins to slot in center field and tandem with DeLuca. DeLuca is a right-handed hitter, while Mullins has generally been a better hitter against right-handed pitching.
Granted, it didn’t look that way last year. Mullins struck out 99 times over 366 plate appearances against righties last season, along with a .657 OPS. His .783 OPS against lefties was significantly better. However, that trend did not follow his career up to this point.
For the Rays, this move checks several boxes. If Mullins can get back on track, he would be an upgrade, at least from a power standpoint, from Jake Mangum. Mangum is a terrific speedster but is also a slap hitter. Additionally, his speed should help with run prevention, which has become a trendy term nowadays.
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