The New York Mets finally got their upgrade in center field, and the cost was not astronomical either.
The Mets acquired 2021 All-Star Cedric Mullins from the Baltimore Orioles, dealing minor-league right-handed pitchers Raimon Gomez, Antony Nunez and Chandler Marsh.
Mullins is slashing .229/.305/.433 with 15 home runs, 49 RBIs, 42 runs scored and 14 stolen bases in 355 plate appearances over 91 games with the Orioles this season.
Mullins burst on the scene with his breakout season in 2021, where he hit 30 home runs with an OPS of .878. But even though he has not produced at that level since, Mullins still has a slightly above-average OPS+ of 104 and is averaging 16 home runs, 60 RBIs and 63 runs scored per season from 2022-25.
Why Did The Mets Trade For Cedric Mullins?
The Orioles (50-59) are in last place in the American League East and are eight games behind the Seattle Mariners for the final AL wild-card spot, so they are in the midst of a full-blown sell-off.
It’s no secret the Mets were in the hunt for a center fielder at this trade deadline. That position has been something of a black hole for New York, since the Mets center fielders rank tied for 15th in wRC+ (87) with the Tampa Bay Rays — 100 is average — according to FanGraphs.
Primary starter Tyrone Taylor has an OPS of just .553 and an OPS+ of 60 — again 100 is average — which is by far the lowest of any regular on the team.
The Mets had checked on Luis Robert Jr of the Chicago White Sox, before the price became too high. They had considered Harrison Bader, before the rival Philadelphia Phillies acquired him Thursday.
But they pivoted to Mullins, a mainstay in the Baltimore outfield since entering the majors in 2018, to fill the void. Mullins is in the final year of arbitration and will be a free agent at the end of the season.
Plus, Mullins will properly slot the rest of the outfielders — and infielder Jeff McNeill, who has played 27 games in center — for the first-place Mets, who have loaded up to try and get back to the World Series for the first time in a decade.
New York acquired right-handed relievers Tyler Rogers from the San Francisco Giants and Ryan Helsley from the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday.
What Did The Mets Give Up To Get Cedric Mullins?
The Mets parted with three pitching prospects, two of which were ranked in their top-30, according to MLB Pipeline.
Nunez, who turned 24 on July 10, was the Mets’ No. 14-ranked prospect per MLB Pipeline and boasts a 2-1 record with a 1.58 ERA and 60 strikeouts in 40 innings this season. He has 36 strikeouts in 22 games, and a 2.10 ERA, in 25 2/3 innings for Double-A Binghamton.
Gomez, New York’s No. 30-ranked prospect, will turn 24 on Sept. 6 but is spinning his wheels in Single-A. The right-hander is 3-5 with a 6.95 ERA and two saves in 22 innings in Single-A Brooklyn and has a not-great 28-15 strikeout-to-walk ratio for the Cyclones.
Marsh is unranked in New York’s system but will turn 23 on Sept. 6 as well. The right-hander is 3-1 with a 3.45 ERA in 25 games with Brooklyn and has a superior 38-15 strikeout-to-walk rate to Gomez.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Mets Shore Up Outfield By Acquiring Former Orioles All-Star appeared first on Heavy Sports.