Cedric Mullins on trade rumors: “We want to be around and win with this group. We love the group"
Mullins' first year in the majors was in 2018
BALTIMORE – An Oriole since the 2015 draft, when the club selected him in round 13 from Campbell Univeristy, center fielder Cedric Mullins has now played 767 games for the club since the 2018 season.
But now that he is a pending free agent – a player on, as they call it, an expiring contract – he is well aware his name is likely to come up in trade talks this month. Both via media speculation and also perhaps in actual trade discussions.
The one-time big three in the outfield of Mullins, Austin Hays and Anthony Santander, has been broken up. Just Mullins remains an Oriole.
How is he handling the uncertainty of the month of July in the majors?
“Coming in ready to win a ballgame, that’s really it,” Mullins told a group of reporters at his locker yesterday. “It’s out of my control, which is perfectly fine. It’s just part of the business that I’m aware of. I’ve experienced it in the past with guys who have come through this org and meant a lot to this organization. So, you know, it’s in the hope of being able to make it past the cut. But I understand how things operate.”
Mullins, who turns 31 on Oct. 1, has seen so much with this club. He played through the rebuild that helped return the Orioles to playoffs.
Mullins began the 2019 season as the O’s starting center fielder. But after just 22 games was hitting .094 and demoted to the minors. He struggled that year at Triple-A and actually ended the season at Double-A playing for Bowie in the Eastern League Playoffs.
That was a setback with his career going the wrong way, but he didn’t let it beat him.
Two years later, he became the first 30-30 player (homers and steals) in O’s team history. From playing back at Double-A to finishing ninth for the AL MVP award.
Now after all of it, he could be wearing another team’s colors before this month is over. Does he ever let his mind wander to playing for a team that is not the Orioles?
“I feel like that’s always been kind of an offseason thing,” he said. “When things slow down and you get a chance to reflect on the year and how things go. And how you expect things going into the next season.
“This kind of feels the same. It could be an abrupt moment where all the sudden you’re out and you are with another team. Or we’re pushing through for a wild card spot or whatever position we’re in afterwards.”
The current Orioles say they’d like to stay together. But it’s not their call, they know that part.
With the poor start to the season, every night these days can feel like a must win. Do the players feel that?
“I think it depends on what position you’re in,” said Mullins, speaking of each players contract status. “For guys that know they could be on the trading block, I think we do kind of feel that. But we also know that controlling our emotions, understanding playing in the now and playing to win with the team that we’re with, is kind of on the forefront. For other guys knowing they will be here for a little bit, it just might not be on the top of their head right now.”
While all players wait out the next few weeks, I asked Mullins who he turns to for advice or just to talk or vent about the uncertainty of it all?
“I think it just kind of stays in house. Talking to guys like (Ryan) O’Hearn and (Zach) Eflin, guys that we know are older guys, veteran presences that could be potential trade chips. We just have those discussions.
“We want to be around, stick around and win with this group of guys. We love the group. Just one of those things where you take it day-by-day.”
Meanwhile the skipper Tony Mansolino and coaching staff deals with that uncertainty too. They’d like to help players get through trade deadline anxiety, but how would you even do that?
“In a lot of ways I think all those stories are kind of making my job easier. Because it is motivating these guys,” Mansolino said pregame Tuesday before the O’s and Mets series opener. “A lot of these guys don’t want to go anywhere. They like it here.
“I don’t really pay attention to a whole lot of it myself. But I know it kind of creates a lot of motivation for these guys. There is a lot of chatter in there about, you know, trying to stay here and kind of get this thing going. So, it’s kind of making my job a little bit easier in some ways.”
Brutal loss at the Yard
The O’s had some momentum going after their weekend sweep in Atlanta. And more going when they took a 6-2 lead to the eighth inning Tuesday night. But the New York Mets hit two, two-run homers in the eighth off Bryan Baker and stunned the Orioles 7-6 in 10 innings.
The Orioles are 40-50 with 72 games to go.
About three weeks after they lost an 8-0 lead and blew a game at Tampa Bay, they blew one last night in the series-opener at Camden Yards.
I love Cedric but we’re flush with outfielders and outfielder prospects. It’s hard to justify keeping him with his hitting. I expect him to go at the deadline. Astros are looking for left handed hitting outfielders. I think he makes a good fit there. I think a package of Ced and OHearn to Astros could yield something significant back.
He wants for be here. I appreciate that but he's batting .210. That's just not helping much. They need to get whatever they can for him. It won't be much but it's better than nothing which is what they will receive after the season is over.