The Rays and outfielder Cedric Mullins are in agreement on a one-year deal, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. The financial details of the pact have not yet been reported. Mullins is represented by Cote Sports Management.
Mullins and the Rays will both be hoping that he can engineer a bounceback season in 2026. Now 31, he has spent the past few seasons primarily with the Orioles, serving as a well-rounded center fielder capable of providing a bit of pop, some speed and quality defense. However, 2025 was his worst season since he became a full-time major leaguer.
Back in 2021, he had a tremendous breakout year. He hit 30 home runs, stole 30 bases and ran the ball down in the outfield. He slashed .291/.360/.518 for a 136 wRC+. FanGraphs credited him with six wins above replacement.
That season now looks like an outlier. His subsequent campaigns haven’t been quite as good but he’s still been a very useful well-rounded contributor. The past four seasons have seen Mullins finish with a home run tally between 15 and 18, barely half of his 2021 total but still nothing to sneeze at. His stolen base numbers have oscillated but stayed near the 30ish range. He only swiped 19 in 2023 but he was limited to 116 games that year.
From 2022 to 2024, even with the diminished power, he slashed .244/.311/.407 for a 103 wRC+. He stole 85 bases and mostly got good review for his glovework. He tallied 7.7 fWAR, about two to three wins per season.
He got out to a hot start at the plate in 2025. At the end of April, he had six home runs, a .278/.412/.515 line and 163 wRC+. With free agency just a few months away, he seemed to have a shot at a nine-figure deal. Unfortunately, he went cold after that and never really recovered. From May 1st to the end of the season, he put up a dismal .198/.263/.355 line. A deadline deal to the Mets didn’t help get him back on track.
Ultimately, his full 2025 line of .216/.299/.391 isn’t too bad. The 94 wRC+ indicates he was only 6% below league average, but it’s obviously not ideal for a free agent to hit the open market riding a five-month slump.
His glovework is also arguably less stable now, perhaps not shocking for a guy who is now 31 years old. Outs Above Average still considers him an above average fielder but by a smaller margin now. He was credited with at least 10 OAA in both 2021 and 2022 but was below five in each of the two most recent seasons. Defensive Runs Saved ranked him as a strong defender a few years ago but tagged him with a -4 grade in 2024 and -14 in 2025, dropping him to -11 DRS for his career.
More to come.
Wish him luck. It would be nice to see him bounce back.
He started strong in 2025, but it seemed like he could barely get a hit after April.
His bat was garbage with the Mets. Hard to watch.
Incredible how much his stock has dropped over the past 2 years, but it’s all about performance. As Bill Parcells once said, “I am my record.”
Nice hat.
Hm, savvy prove it deal on the side of the Rays and a solid landing spot for Cedric, cause he might find a trade to a competitive team very easily if he plays to potential. Curious to see how this plays out.
Dang it, a centerfielder off the board in a weak class. Wanted the angels to get him, if the rays got him it probably wasn’t that expensive.
Buxton’s reportedly willing to move.
Hes awful; your better off with anyone but him
Good spot to land for him to re establish higher value for himself.
He does well defensively and has some electric robberies! He used to switch hit but stopped a few years ago to focus on the left side. Maybe another different approach is needed for him again – use the entire field more, don’t sell out for power, be more of a top of the order table setter and use that speed before it starts escaping him.
Looking forward to a nice bounce back campaign for Ceddy. Always a fan favorite in charm city!
Good for Cedric!!!
He doesn’t feel like a Rays player to me. Not sure why. I think he’ll do pretty good there and try to get back to his regular self. He’s a pretty fun player to watch
Rays are a good team to get a bounce back year, hopefully it works.
Among Stearns’s trade deadline acquisitions, only Helsley turned out worse. Wasn’t good in the field and was an automatic out. Rays must be desperate.
I love Ced but hes a small guy and constantly deals with his Chrons and nagging injuries. When hes healthy he is fun to watch. Really hope for him to bounce back
Don’t know if he has much left in the tank at this point, but he is a Jays Killer. I’ll go ahead and pencil him in for 5 homers and at least one home run saving catch against us this season.