Cedric Mullins -- Performance Analysis

The Tampa Bay Rays appear to be regretting their free agency acquisition of outfielder Cedric Mullins. The team signed Mullins to a one-year, $7 million deal with a $10 million mutual option for 2027, representing 18.4% of their winter spending budget and making him the fourth-highest-paid player on the 2026 roster. The Rays brought Mullins in to upgrade center field and strengthen their lineup following the trade of All-Star Brandon Lowe. Through 28 games and 97 plate appearances, Mullins has significantly underperformed expectations. He carries a .138/.200/.253 slash line with an OPS+ of 26 and is the only positional player on the active roster with negative bWAR at -0.4. His -9 Batting Run Value ranks in the first percentile of MLB hitters. While some underperformance can be attributed to a .152 batting average on balls in play, his average exit velocity of 84.8 mph and hard-hit rate of 32.9% have both declined below his career averages, suggesting legitimate struggles at the plate. Defensively, his impact has also waned, with a -1 Fielding Run Value in the 24th percentile. The only area where Mullins has performed above league average is his strikeout rate at 19.9% (76th percentile).

The Tampa Bay Rays signed veteran outfielder Cedric Mullins to a one-year, $7.5 million deal to address a weak outfield that was among MLB's least productive in 2025. However, Mullins himself struggled significantly throughout 2025 after being traded mid-season from Baltimore to the Mets, and those struggles initially carried into 2026.

Recently, Mullins has begun showing signs of offensive recovery. Over his last three games with plate appearances, he has recorded a three-game hitting streak and reached base in four of five games. Against Toronto on May 6, he entered as a defensive replacement in the eighth inning, singled to lead off, and eventually scored on an error. In the May 10 series-clinching win against Boston, Mullins went 1-for-3 and recorded the final RBI via sacrifice bunt.

Despite the recent improvement, Mullins's overall numbers remain poor, with a .148/.202/.235 slash line and 11 RBIs. Nevertheless, the Rays organization views any offensive contribution from the veteran as a positive step forward given his prolonged struggles.

Cedric Mullins (Boyce Cedric Mullins) is a left-handed outfielder born October 1, 1994 in Greensboro, North Carolina, from Campbell University. He was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 13th round (403rd overall) in 2015 and signed for $100,000. Mullins made his MLB debut on August 10, 2018. Through his career, he has accumulated 2,867 at-bats with a .247 batting average, .317 on-base percentage, .420 slugging percentage, and 103 home runs. In prospect evaluations, he was ranked as the Orioles' #9 prospect in 2018 and #26 prospect in 2017. He also earned International League #15 and Eastern League #13 rankings in 2018. The organization recognized him as the best athlete, fastest baserunner, and best defensive outfielder in the Baltimore system in 2018. Recent transaction history indicates multiple stints on the injured list for groin and hamstring strains. Most significantly, Mullins was traded to the New York Mets in exchange for three right-handed pitchers (Raimon Gomez, Anthony Nunez, and Chandler Marsh) before subsequently signing with the Tampa Bay Rays as a free agent.

Cedric Mullins recorded his best performance as a Ray on Saturday, going 2-for-5 with two stolen bases and two runs scored in Minnesota's 7-1 loss. The performance marks a turnaround for the 31-year-old, who began his Rays tenure in a significant slump, dropping his batting average to .042 through an 0-for-12 stretch. Mullins' breakthrough came after a productive at-bat on Friday in which he snapped his hitless streak with an RBI single. In Saturday's third inning, Mullins employed a bunt down the third-base line to reach base, immediately stole second, advanced to third on a single, and scored on a double play. He repeated the pattern in the fifth, singling up the middle and scoring on another base hit. Mullins noted he had been considering using the bunt to break out of his slump and found multiple leadoff opportunities to execute it. Manager Kevin Cash praised the quality of Mullins' at-bats, particularly noting an exit velocity of 98.1 mph on a fly ball as indicative of improved swing mechanics. Mullins credited a return to simplicity in his approach, focusing on being on time for fastballs.