Orioles fans have been pining for long-term extensions for some of their young core, but thus far there’s been little indication that they’re pursuing such commitments. Part of that stemmed from the fact that the franchise was up for sale. We’re now more than a year into David Rubenstein’s tenure as Orioles owner, and while they’ve spent more money on the whole, it’s primarily been on one-year deals for free agents. (Tyler O’Neill’s three-year deal is a notable exception, though that contains an opt-out clause after the 2025 season and thus could end being a one-year deal as well.)
General manager Mike Elias commented on the matter yesterday, suggesting he’d be “more revelatory” on the subject of extensions than in the past, but still spoke in generalities (via Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com).
“This is something we’re working on,” Elias said to the Orioles beat. “There’s guys on this team that we would like to have on this team longer than they’re currently slated for. It’s not a point-and-shoot thing. It’s case by case. There’s different players, different skill levels, different representatives, different philosophies around how to handle players at different age levels. … There’s only so much I can say about it other than it’s something we want to do if it makes sense, that we are working on it and if it happens, we’ll be out here talking about it.”
A large portion of the focus on potential extension candidates in Baltimore centers around young stars like Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson and Jordan Westburg — and understandably so. But Cedric Mullins — the Orioles’ longest-tenured player and a cornerstone throughout their rise from rebuilder to contender in the AL East — is in the final year of club control and would stand as a logical extension candidate himself, at least on paper. Agent Robin Cope tells Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic that the team has not broached the possibility of an extension, even though Mullins himself “wishes they would.”
Mullins himself followed up on Cope’s comments. Asked today by the O’s beat about his agent’s statement (link via Andy Kostka of the Baltimore Banner), Mullins replied: “One hundred percent. Just being drafted by Baltimore and just knowing what Baltimore and the city offered me and my family over the course of my career has been nothing short of amazing. So to have those negotiations take place, it’s all in timing. But right now, focused on the day-to-day of bringing wins to the clubhouse.”
The 30-year-old Mullins has spent his entire career with the Orioles organization, dating back to his selection in the 13th round of the 2015 draft. Though he never garnered fanfare from national prospect rankings, he established himself as an All-Star caliber center fielder. Since cementing his place in the Orioles’ lineup back in 2020, Mullins is a .259/.327/.442 hitter. He peaked with a 30-30 season and .291/.360/.518 batting line in 2021, taking home a Silver Slugger Award and landing ninth in MVP voting during what’s still the lone All-Star campaign of his career.
Mullins may never get back to those heights again, but he’s doing his best to get there with a massive start to his 2025 campaign: .300/.435/.620 with four homers, three steals and nearly as many walks (10) as strikeouts (11) through his first 62 turns at the plate. That builds off a big finish to his 2024 campaign. After a brutally slow start in April and May, Mullins regained his footing and finished as one of the most productive hitters in the American League. Over his past 370 plate appearances, he’s batting .280/.371/.497 with 16 homers and 23 plate appearances.
Looking back at recent extensions using MLBTR’s Contract Tracker, there haven’t been too many examples of outfielders — or position players in general — signing extensions this close to free agency and at this age. Tommy Edman’s deal with the Dodgers (four years, $64.5MM in new money) stands as the most recent parallel. Stretching back a bit further, Charlie Blackmon’s first extension with the Rockies guaranteed him $94MM in new money over a five-year period.
Free agency offers a few more points of comparison, but it’s increasingly rare for center fielders to make it to market before signing an extension. Dexter Fowler (five years, $82.5MM), Lorenzo Cain (five years, $80MM) and AJ Pollock (four years, $60MM) all signed for $15-16MM annual range, beginning with their age-31 seasons. Each of those contracts is more than five years old at this point, however. Starling Marte secured a weightier $19.5MM AAV on a four-year deal beginning with his age-33 season. George Springer’s six-year, $150MM contract covers his age-31 through age-36 seasons, but was a more accomplished hitter than Mullins.
Given the lack of discussions to this point, it seems likely that Mullins will reach free agency. He’d be a clear candidate for a qualifying offer and would likely reject that one-year figure in search of a multi-year deal. The O’s have Colton Cowser, Heston Kjerstad and perhaps O’Neill all in the outfield mix beyond the current season, plus prospects Enrique Bradfield Jr., Jud Fabian and Dylan Beavers in the upper minors. That gives the team a good bit of outfield talent to build around if Mullins departs. In order to keep him, they’d surely need to spend well beyond their recent comfort levels. Baltimore hasn’t given out a contract worth more than $50MM since signing Alex Cobb back in 2018, under not only a different owner but also a different front office regime.
They must really be Mullin over an extension.
Os are 2 yrs 2 late offering Mullins an extension. Too pricy now for their pocketbook.
Would it have been a smart extension offer from the O’s the year after Mullins went 30/30 instead of letting the next couple of years unfold? He would have cost a lot more then as opposed to now now methinks.
Moot point. In 21, Orioles were still gutting payroll. No one was getting paid on that roster. Fast forward to 23, the Os had turned the corner; a foundation had been set. That was the time to start thinking extensions including Mullins. He could’ve been extended for cheap.
by buying out 2 years of arb years in order to get a discount on his age 31-33 seasons? It was a good move to wait and see. Around that time they also drafted Banfield in the 1st round to be their CF of the future. THis roster has Cowser (who can play CF; albeit below averge in center), Kjerstad in a corner, and Oneil (potentially for 2 more years).. Banfield has been solid in the minors; with beavers and fabian both looking good enough to be in the mix next year.
The rebuild has gone as planned in CF, and the question for the team now is if they need another year or not from a vet or not. If they signed a few minor league FA to compete with the prospects next year, i would be fine- albeit i would want them to spend the money to lock up Henderson or Westy…. I hate signing Adley long term as a catcher and Basallo in the wings.
2 years ago after 2 down years offensively, it was worth the investment extending him for his yr in yr out defensive consistency alone … and had for cheap.
Oh, I don’t see Bradfield (sp?) making it past AAA … and at his best maybe AAAA.
C Yards Jeff;
Haven’t seen him play. Need to see him play at the ML level. Posters here of all teams think all their prospects written up gloriously by the free evaluation sites are going to be shades of successful. Reality is that they don’t.
I became a big O’s fan. Barley hanging on. There is so much wrong with the way their young position players are performing at the ML level…on the field…not about stats. The pitching is a mess, with their starting pitchers currently ranked the worst in MLB. All the silly calls for overpaying for a #1 starting pitcher would hardly have solved that issue.
2025 is a development year, let’s see if Mr. Hyde and his staff can make inroads with the young position players. As for the pitchers…..they need a new pitching philosophy and head pitching coach. The last guy was good and made progress with the pitchers. This one has simply been awful…..and I’m sick of seeing him walking out to the mound the talk to the pitcher constantly.
Samuel: new hitting coaches too. Ugh. I’m holding out hope that the pitching, fielding and hitting philosophies are healthy and that it’s just a matter of time before things start to click between new coaches and players. We’ll see!
I don’t think that was ever truly in their minds with Mullins. I think he’s always been a guy they looked at as a player they would either go through their full control with and trade or QO for the draft pick. The amount of OF options they have been building this organization with just proves to be the writing on the wall.
I still believe they should take full advantage of his fast start and look to trade or use him in a package to bring back more value than a comp pick. It would be great if the Orioles were able to align with another contending club in need of OF so that it’s a win-win in terms of the value of the return and getting him on a team that has the potential to do good things in the postseason.
if they can line up an OF for SP in a win now capacity like they did flipping Hayes for Releivers a few years ago- that would work.
I wouldnt even put a QO on Mullins, adios.
Mullins is exactly the sort of player teams should stay away from once they become expensive.. 31 in his FA year, now a slightly below average CFer by Statcast, doesn’t have the bat for a corner spot w/a .244/311/.407, averaging 16 HR a year.
Edman isn’t remotely a good comp—still above average and can play any number of positions, a much much higher ceiling at the plate as 2024 showed, and at this age when he signed Edman was a very valuable year younger by seasonal age than Mullins.
If Mullins wants to sign for 3/42m or the like, sure, but anything longer will come to a horrible end, with the O’s sending him out at 35 to hit 7 HR a year with a .280 OBP in LF just to try to ‘get their money’s worth.’
Don’t do it. Spend the money on locking down Gunnar.
Big quote of nothing thanks Elias
He’s busy working on the Morton extension
If the O’s do pass on extending Mullins and he signs elsewhere, they should have plenty of young outfield depth ready to take over. They’ve selected at least one outfielder in the first round of the draft in every draft in the 2020s. Enrqiue Bradfield didn’t do bad last year, and is off to an oustanding start this year. He might be a prime candidate to take over CF for the O’s next year.
They’re interested in making money. Bottom line.
Point to the professional sports team that isn’t. We’ll wait.
Mets… who knows if the real books show red or black, but they are the one team I can think of that could be losing money and the owner not really even caring that much, or at least care enough that it would curtail their spending. Point is made though, and even in this very special circumstance, I think even Cohen himself would shift if A: Mets win World Series, or B: it goes on long enough without Championship success.
It’s so rare that it really just reinforces your point. I just wanted to mention it because as a former A’s fan, who like many fans from other franchises have been kicked to the curb by ownership, just love seeing an owner go all in on trying to win.
They are going to let Mullins walk in ’26.
I would say they are a year late on Gunnar’s extension though.
He’ll make 785K this season, and is ARB1 in ’26, UFA in ’29. Four more seasons of team control.
If he plays them without an extension, he can’t expect much more than Kyle Tucker, who got 5M, 12.5M and 16.5M in arbitration.
Merrill is the best comp for a Gunnar extension, SD bought out four years of team control at around 30M and added five years at 105M with a club option in what is essentially a 10yr / 156M pact.
Talk is Tucker is looking at a 500M extension similar to Vlad.
Id say to extend Gunnar this season the market is something around 200M.
In my opinion that is a bad deal for the Orioles. Id have him play out the four seasons at 40M, and if cant resign him ’29, oh well, just saved yourself a bundle and can use the cash elsewhere.
If you want to stay in his good graces, and give him financial security, buy out his ARB years and a a year of UFA for 80M. 5yrs / 80M is about right. Thats 40M for his pre Arb and his ARB, and a one year team option at 30M, UFA in ’30.
I’d say Gunnar is gonna need closer to $300 mil with opt-outs
Now if you are the Orioles, in what way is that a good deal for the team? The team has a big advantage having a talented player like Henderson through his arbitration years for the next four seasons at what is a substantial discount to market value.
The extension only makes sense for the Orioles if they feel they can save money on the FA years they buy out.
If he is asking 300M preARB, might as well wait it out, develop a couple prodpects behind him. A good chance he regresses, has an injury. More and more talented players enter the system every year, a teams best bet is to steer clear of these long term extensions.
You’re making it seem like developing a young stud like Gunnar is easy and a guarantee, which it isn’t. This is the problem with the Orioles org though, they never commit to anyone and haven’t had a face of the franchise since like Chris Davis.
The Royals made a great move by extending Witt Jr. and the Orioles should make pushes to do the same with one or more of their young players and I think the smartest one to start with would be Gunnar.
They need to adopt a Braves-like approach, although it’s probably a little too late. It seems like Baltimore isn’t a prime free agent destination for even upper-mid class or they just aren’t offering enough, so might as well extend your productive players (wouldn’t extend Mullins though).
that would be a discount. He is a 35 million per player as a floor. So buying out the next 10 years at only 30 million is a discount.
The arb numbers are also wrong. Vlad is the better comp than Tucker. Tucker toiled as a part timer early in his career due to an astros roster that was contending (so they gave him 0 leash). So his first arb number was very low, and a bad first arb number sinks future arb numbers…. so for henderson i expect to see something like 15m, 21m, 30m as his 3 years of arb. That means the 3 years of team control being traded away are not at as big of a discount as OP pointed out. (vlad was 14.5, 19.9 and 28.5- his 3rd year platform for that first number was his break out 48hr season; so gunnar at 37 hr at a premium position with 20sb as a kicker just needs to apprach those numbers this year to make the vlad arb numbers look low for him)
I dont think players like Gunnar Henderson are a dime a dozen, but I also dont believe a 4.0 WAR SS is that much worse of an option than an 8.0 WAR SS, especially going into next season because that figure is always based on past results, and the risk that Gunnar regresses is significantly more than it is for your 4.0 WAR SS. That reduction in risk has real value. If you can get a younger 4.0 WAR SS with team control oppossed to a player in his thirties on a bloated long term contract, I say you are better off in many ways.
Arbitration clearly is a little flawed, for VLAD to get 28.5M and Tucker to only get 16.5M after posting three all star campaigns, Tucker hit around 30HR in ’24, 18 more homers is worth 12.5M?
Gunnar Henderson’s market value is no higher than it will ever be right now today, playing at 785K coming off a 9.0WAR season. As soon as you extend him, that market value immediately takes a dive.
If he has a bad season comparably, and its likely that he does regress or misses more time with injury, you dont get your money back. In Arbitration, that risk is hedged. With a long term contract in place, that risk is all yours.
I tend to agree with this.
I’d start with a 10 year 275-280 million, with opt out around ‘31-‘32 and see what they come back with.
i hate opt outs, but i agree. 10 years 280 likley gets the conversation going, I may actually start at 10 years 300 mil since i would gladly still go there, and that way you have the bigger lead number (even if that may be a 10 year deal with a sticker price of 300 mil, but 100 mil is spread over the next 20 years)
Gunnar is going to make over $40MM for those 4 seasons.
His final arb season is likely going to be for $25MM alone assuming he stays healthy
Why would he get more than Tucker? Tucker put in three all star seasons in ’22, ’23 and ’24. And he had a good season in ’21. Gunnars numbers arent that much better.
Inflation? Overpays to Soto, Vlad and Ohtani?
Gunnar just came off a 9 WAR season which would be better than Tucker ever did. Inflation added on top of that. But he may also make under that. That would assume Gunnar continues to be an elite and healthy player but it won’t surprise me to see him eclipse that with 4 turns through.
Yeah, Gunnar was worth almost as much in his first two years (16.1 bWAR) as Tucker was in his first 4 years (18.1 bWAR).
He is in a whole other league than Kyle Tucker and off to a historic start to his career.
I doubt he’s taking less than Bobby Witt Jr. and the poster that thinks 200m will get it done is out in rightfield thinking he found the 5.5 hole.
Tucker has been a consistent 5ish war guy, but in all fairness he had 4.7 in only 339 PA. Hard to call it a break out going from a 5 WAR (regular allstar) to a 8 WAR player (MVP contender), but last season barring the injury that is where he is.
tucker was a part timer his first 2 partial season- since he became a full time player he has more or less been a 5 WAR player.
You are going to need to do an extension like Witt. Gunnar has already passed him in career WAR in less seasons.
It’s crazy to think how big Gunners ask could be when you are comparing him to Witt who had a .9 bWAR and 4.3 bWAR in his first two full seasons to Gunnars 6.1 bWAR and 9.1 bWAR. That is a 10 win gap.
Not to mention the Boras representation factor.
A young shortstop off to a historic start of his career. Boras likely won’t be able to top Soto’s total deal with Gunnar due to him not being as young as a FA, but he could be the guy that passes him on the AAV front over a little shorter deal.
i don’t believe the O’s are that interested in any long term extension for Mullins. they may look to cowser to handle centerfield on full time basis
Adley, Gunnar and Jordan are more interested in the Dodgers, Yankees, and Mets level of spending.
Adley and Gunnar, if not extended, will end up as Dodgers.
They better not let mullins go. Be another santander type mistake.
You mean the guy slashing .211/.291/.338 for that team north of the border? Time will prove the O’s were prudent to let Santander walk.
Santander isn’t really lighting the world on fire. Early season sample size disclaimer and it could always still turn into a mistake, but still something to note.
mid level player walking while they sign a better “fit” for the team.
Santander had similar splits to everyone else on their roster, ONiel has opposite splits- the reason they went with Tyler instead. I have no issue when a GM makes that call since who cares if you run up the score vs. Righties if no one can hit a lefty.
This is less likely to be a similar value FA signing and more of a “let the young guys play” move- but there is enough depth in CF for the Os on the farm, i am fine with that call. Mullins is not a building block player. Santander was not a building block player.
@Shay86 Mullins and Santander are the guys smart teams let walk once they become expensive.
Do O’s fans really not know that we count pretty much everything and that Mullins is now a slightly below average CFer who hit 244/311/407 from 2022-2024 and was good for only 4 assists in 2023 and just 2 in 2024?
CF has a low bar these days, but if someone is silly enough to give Mullins 4/80m or that’s the kind of deal he’s holding out for, the O’s should let him walk and put the money elsewhere. Cowser’s an obvious choice to supplant Mullins.
A .244/.311/.407 batter is pretty decent production regardless of position, especially considering he walked at about a league average rate with above-average power, and only a 20% K%. Nobody is really concerned about his outfield assists because not only is it not a great way to identify who is/isn’t a good defender, but also because CF’s aren’t expected to rack up a ton of them either. He also had +19 outs above-average in those 3 seasons. $20 million AAV is nothing anymore, especially for a CF who prodvides above-average hitting and plus defense. Plus, if they replace Mullins with anyone, I think it would be Bradfield.
Dylan Beavers and Jud Fabian will not be making any impact in the Orioles outfield ever. Maybe Fabian is a short side platoon bat.
Too early to tell.
Too much swing and miss. Fabian’s hit tool isn’t there. Very hard for guys without one to make any impact.
Beavers has been trending the wrong way. He’ll have to make some serious adjustments but it’s probably too soon to trash him.
Fabian still at least recieves a 60-grade for his fielding, running, and a 55 for his arm by Baseball America, so at the very least, he has the floor of a defensive first 4th outfield type with some pop.
If you K 50% of the time you just don’t make it. I don’t see him working out for much. He’s truly all or nothing with the bat. Maybe you find a Jose Siri type guy.
He strikesout a lot, but not 50% of the time. Struck out 32.4% of the time last year, and 31.8% so far in 63 plate appearances this year. Again, I’m not saying he’s going to be an all-star slugger, but he still hast he floor of a defensive minded 4th outfielder who will run into some dingers here and there.
yup- right now he projects as a 4th OF with a toolshed missing the hit tool. Beavers was always a project since they drafted him- so i am not willing to even look at what is going on since his swing was too long when they drafted him- and had to redo the whole swing from the ground up.
Cowser is plan A in CF in Mullins leaves; Banfield is plan B. Beavers/Fabian are plan E/F since they likely sign a Siri type to be a 4th OF who can play CF
It was 41% in AAA last year. If he can get that down under 30% in AAA—maybe you got something. But that K% only ticks up in the majors
Also if you watch Fabian—he has a big uppercut swing. I think MLB pitchers will hammer him up in the zone and he won’t pan out.
Cedric is a cornerstone and I want him winning a ring with the Os. 5/92. If he doesn’t sign then he’s definitely a QO candidate.
why is he cornerstone? He has been around a while, but since the monster 30/30 season several years ago, has he been good enough to call a cornerstone player, or is he a complentary player to a different core?
No excuses for not extending, even the A’s are doing it.
the As are closer to competing than most of us want to admit. Soderstrom and Rooker look real and are the heart of what is a solid lineup. Kurtz just needs playing time (and may lead to Rooker needing to play LF a little more)
Cautiously optimistic is about the only way to describe us O’s fans right now.
They’re clearing the board for the prospects, I wrote it all offseason.
It’s not just Cedric. Mateo will be gone, Ryan O’Hearn is a LH-hitting DH/1B/Corner OF that will be replaced by Heston Kjerstad. They have some players in the high minors that will be up this season. Mullians will be traded to a contender for prospects in-season…… possibly O’Hearn as well. They have 4 3B’s: One playing 3B, one playing SS, one playing 2B and one in the high minors that currently looks like a flop – so Ramon Urias may be trade bait as well. Mountcastle? Hardly looks like he’ll be there in 2 years. And who knows what they do with the pitchers.
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As I wrote a few months ago, Branden Hyde is back to where he was in 2019-21. He and his staff developed a nice group of young players that didn’t have the talent that these youngsters seemingly do. Watching O’s home games with 3/4’ers empty seats, it seems O’s fans have figured it out.
Coby Mayo is not exactly dominating AAA with the bat, and his fielding is atrocious.
23 plate appearances in his past 370 plate appearances is oddly impressive.
Gunnar and adley are the main guys. Gunnar is looking at at least a Bobby Witt Jr.-type deal and Adley I’m not sure. Mullins is almost certainly playing elsewhere next season
I’d just like to add that all of those CFs they mentioned have not been worth their contracts year over year.
depends on what you think a 15ish million dollar player is. These days that is a run of the mill every day player who can deliver 3ish war.
Mullins is an in-between player. Not average, not a cornerstone. The 30/30 season is an outlier, a nice player with some production, speed, and defense, but too many K’s/too few BB’s to lead off, too few HR to hit in the middle. If he keeps hitting and the Orioles limp into July 10 games below .500 because they didn’t get top half of the rotation guys and its biting them, he could traded for ever more prospects.
Gunnar? The Witt deal is a benchmark. He’s not going for under that and likely to go for a chunk higher. If they keep waiting and Gunnar hits .280 with 40 HR this year, well now its 40M a year.
There is no “good deal” for the Orioles except what they can get for cheap. So that will either be a home grown player they have trapped in pre free agency or someone desperate like Nelson Cruz in 2014 willing to sign a prove it deal and they got 40 HR out of him. Otherwise they will scour the dark alleys and dumpsters, hoping for second tier breakthroughs and reclamation projects, a 35 year old untested in MLB or a 41 year old who was going to retire.
What does it tell Adley, Gunnar…then Jordan, Jackson and any other home grown star to follow and the fans that the franchise has no intention of building a relationship with them past what they wring out of their cheap controllable years? Is it any wonder Baltimore has issues attracting free agents (let alone crime, taxes, and cost of living)? This alone makes me root for big changes to the collective bargaining agreement and a salary floor.
As for Mateo, I was fine with a parting of the ways after 2023. Yet here he is, because he’s cheap.
Mullins is player that turns games……with the bat, with his speed on the bases, with his range covering a premier defensive position.
He is hardly an “in between” player.
A players value to a team is not in his statistics – although that’s used for salary negotiations. A players value is what he does on the field to help his team win games. If Mr. Mullins can get to a contending team that needs a CF he’ll put them over the top….and O’s fans like you will be writing posts asking why they let him get away.
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Stop with the Gunner nonsense. First off he’s a kamikaze SS that in no way plays the field as well, smart, and consistently as Bobby Witt. Most importantly, Scott Boras is his agent, so there’s no way he signs an extension with the O’s beyond 2029 when he becomes a free agent.
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I don’t think you comprehend how any professional team sports FO’s run their franchises in this day and age. There are reasons why the teams like the Rays, Brewers, Guardians, and D-Backs can compete in MLB for the playoffs 3 out of every 4 years….while the Royals and now Reds are getting in line. What you don’t accept is that players aren’t loyal to teams and haven’t been for decades (and that one or two players on an MLB team don’t make it great…..hitters bat once every 9, pitchers pitch limited innings, defenders can only get involved if the ball is hit to them, etc.). Most teams FO’s understand that because they have to deal with legal realities. Most fans like to talk about the past. In MLB franchises revenue disparities allow the large market teams to get stuck with bad long-term contracts that they can absorb. Even one bad long-term contract can ruin a medium and especially small market team as long as it’s in effect.
MLB is a multi-billion dollar business. There are extremely smart grownups administering it.
C’mon Samuel
1. Every national publication lists Gunnar right alongside, if not ahead, of Witt, overall. He has better power numbers, Gunnar takes more walks, and steals (as much as you love them) are over magnified in today’s game with the step off/pick off attempt rules. I actually think most of the pundits overrate Gunnar defensively but in both 2023-24, his range #’s are clearly better (2025 too early).than Witt’s. Gunnar is also a year younger.
2. I am perfectly aware of what a player’s value is, I’ve been watching baseball since 1981, and Cedric Mullins is by no means a top tier CF the same way Jorge Mateo is not a major league cailber player no matter how much you pish posh and condescend. (if mateo is released today BTW, he passes through waivers).
-Obviously the player is valued on his statistics if that is used in his negotiations
-As good of a start as he’s had, has he totally distanced himself from Grisham and even Misner in his own division this spring?
-You love flashy atheticism, but did you pay much attention to his overall defensive #’s last year? They were below average.
-Aaron Judge played CF last year. I think I’ll take a bit of a hit on D and take Judge’s offensive #’s instead. I think Judge does plenty to help his team win games.
-You can’t take 3 weeks in April as Cedric’s value just as you can’t take the terrible first 3 months of last year as his value. His overall career averages speaks fairly. He’ll hit 15-20 HR, maybe .240-.250, he can steal 30+ bases in a healthy season, he strikes out a lot and walks not enough to be great leadoff guy (OBP .323) and is still above average defensively but has slipped from really good. I have described an above average CF but not a cornerstone. Adam Jones was better offensively, similar defensively, and someone I would have called a cornerstone,
3. Let’s talk about other teams’ front offices
-Rays – have year in, year out had better starting pitching than the Orioles have had over the past nearly 20 seasons. Bullpen right up there in 2023 when the Orioles were bragging about theirs. Right now also playing in a minor league stadium.
-Brewers – a mix of guys they’ve obtained (below their upper 30s and 40s at least) who have worked out, and developed themselves who have been competent…Woodruff, Peralta gave them seasons off the top of my head recently. Oh, and that Burnes guy was pretty good
-Dbacks – didn’t they just get that Burnes guy for $210M? 89 wins last yr. Made WS in 2023, I’d say that’s more recently than the Orioles have gotten there.
-Guardians – awesome bullpen last year, good rotation in 2023 (injury issues IIRC) and 2022. Bieber and Civale homegrown, Quantrill was not.
Common themes? They can develop starting pitching. But they will also go and get more competent starting pitching. The Dbacks will pay for pitching.
Long term contracts? All of these teams currently have more money committed in 2026, 2027, and 2028 than your Baltimore Orioles.
Take your snark elsewhere, because you’re wrong. Again.
Mullins’ has been a 2 WAR player in 2023 and 2024, and hot start in 66 PA notwithstanding, that’s who he is, with CF defense that is now slightly below average with a poor arm, ruling out RF.
As a FA at 31` Mullins is not a player you want for anything more than a steep hometown discount and even then, with Colton Cowser available to play CF (he should probably be playing CF now), why would you extend a below average CFer who lacks the bat for LF and the arm for RF, and who isn’t going to be mysteriously better in 2026, 2027, 2028….
O’s setting up Mullins for a trade in July.
well if he keeps playing like this….and the rest of the team keeps playing like this…he will be the only one on the team bringing back anything in return in the imminent fire sale