In the ever-resourceful way Tampa Bay operates, the Rays are once again banking on a low-risk, high-upside play, this time, by signing a player once viewed as one of the American League’s most electric center fielders. Former All-Star Cedric Mullins, now 31 and searching for the spark that once made him a star, has reportedly agreed to a one-year deal with the Rays, per reports.
From All-Star Heights to Statistical Lows
For Mullins, the contract represents more than just a new uniform. It’s a lifeline.
His 2025 season was, in a word, brutal. Mullins began the year with Baltimore, where his offensive numbers were .229 average, .305 OBP, .433 slugging, and falling short of expectations. But it was after a midseason trade to the Mets that things really unraveled. His New York stint was marked by a glaring slump: a .182 batting average and a rare statistical oddity, his slugging percentage (.281) dipped below his on-base percentage (.284). Numbers like that raise eyebrows and red flags.
A Glimpse at the Mullins of 2021
Still, this is not just a reclamation project. This is a bet on memory and on the version of Cedric Mullins that captivated baseball in 2021.
That season, he was electric. A lone standout on a 110-loss Orioles club, Mullins powered through with a .291/.360/.518 slash line, clubbed 30 homers, stole bases with abandon, and finished the year with a sparkling 6.2 bWAR. He wasn’t just good, he was one of the league’s best, earning an All-Star nod and a ninth-place finish in MVP voting. That version of Mullins made pitchers uncomfortable and fans hopeful.
Tampa Bay’s Calculated Gamble
The Rays, always playing chess while others play checkers, seem to believe there’s still a trace of that player left. Their front office has a history of extracting value from players others have written off. If Mullins’ glove still plays and his bat can regain even a fraction of its former bite, this could be another quiet steal in the Rays’ playbook.
Mullins will get a chance to face his former team in Baltimore on May 18. By then, we’ll know whether Tampa Bay has unearthed another hidden gem or simply taken a swing that didn’t quite connect. Either way, it’s a storyline worth watching.
