With the emergence of a young core of players that included catcher Adley Rutschman, shortstop Gunnar Henderson, outfielder Jordan Westburg, outfielder Colton Cowser and more, it appeared that the Baltimore Orioles were set up for an 8-10 year of dominance at the top of the AL East.
Those plans appear to quickly be coming to a halt as Baltimore is currently 11-17 and in last place in the division. It has been an unexpectedly slow start to the season and if the Orioles continue to struggle into the summer months, Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun predicts a certain centerfielder could be on the move.
Meyer predicts Baltimore may look to trade longtime centerfielder Cedric Mullins if the team finds itself on the outside looking into the postseason picture when the trade deadline rolls around. Meyer knows the Orioles front office isn’t the brightest, and that is why he says a trade wouldn’t surprise him.
“I would not rule out anything because of how shrewd this front office is,” said Meyer. “If they get to the point where they conclude that they have no chance of making the postseason would they trade Cedric Mullins? Possibly.”
The eight-year veteran is quietly putting together his best season since 2021, when he set career highs in nearly every offensive category including home runs (30), batting average (.291) and OPS (.878). Mullins also made his only career All-Star game appearance in 2021, along with receiver a Silver Slugger award and finishing top 10 in MVP voting.
Mullins is batting .292 with six home runs and an OPS of .983 in 89 at-bats. He leads Baltimore in hits, doubles, runs scored, walks, home runs, RBIs, average, slugging percentage, on-base percentage and OPS. The point being, Mullins is having an extremely efficient year.
The Orioles could certainly capitalize on his value if he continues to produce and they fall out of contention. If Baltimore decides trading Mullins is its best option, a couple of teams to watch out for could be the Detroit Tigers and Philadelphia Phillies.
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