With just three days left until Major League Baseball’s trade deadline, the New York Mets are expected to be active, and they already have been in some capacity by adding the Baltimore Orioles’ Gregory Soto. Well, that may not be the only time this week that the Mets link up with the Orioles for one of their tradable pieces.
New York is 1.5 games up on the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League East as the Mets are winners of their last six games. Baseball’s season is so long and features so many epps and flows. The Mets struggled mightily late June into early July, but have seemed to figure it out. One item on their wish list is a center fielder who can hit for power.
Mets Pull off Deal for Cedric Mullins
The Orioles are certified sellers, and one of their movable players is outfielder Cedric Mullins. General manager Mike Elias already made it clear that they are prioritizing moving players on expiring contracts. Along with first baseman Ryan O’Hearn, Mullins is likely to be moved, and it could be a bidding war between the New York Mets and their rival, the Phillies.
Mullins provides an excellent defensive center fielder, but has 14 home runs this season in 88 games. His average is low in the mid-.210s, but the Mets don’t need him to be a silver slugger type bat; they just need a little more production than they’re getting from Tyrone Taylor and Jeff McNeil. McNeil has been a good bat, but a deal like this primarily allows him to move back to second base.
New York certainly have the assets to pull a deal off like this. The Orioles are looking for prospect capital, most likely, and the Mets could deal with one of their top ten prospects without moving a player currently on their roster or one of their prized top-three prospects. With Cedric Mullins set to be a free agent, that drives the price down a bit because it’s unclear if he’d return to the Mets, but the Orioles would still be able to move off him and gain a top prospect in return.
So, Will Mullins Be Moved?
Mark Feinsand of MLB.com seems to think so, naming Cedric Mullins as one of the players most likely to be traded this deadline:
“Mullinsâ best season came in 2021, when he made his only All-Star team and had a 6.0 fWAR. He hasnât been able to replicate that in the past four years, but heâs still a solid defender in center (2 Outs Above Average), and has above-average speed. Mullinsâ 95 OPS+ leaves him just below league-average this season, but the impending free agent has an .822 OPS against lefties this season, so he could certainly help a team in a platoon situation.”
The Mets run a platoon situation out in center field, making Mullins the perfect trade option at the deadline. With just a few days separating today and July 31st, one of the Mets’ top needs is a center fielder.
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