Deep Dive Into The Newest Mets Outfielder, Cedric Mullins

Since Jose Siri fractured his tibia back in April, the Mets have had a glaring hole in center field. Tyrone Taylor, now a year-and-a-half into his tenure with the team, has provided strong defense with 1.8 defensive bWAR while ranking in the 90th and 81st percentiles for Outs Above Average in 2025 and 2024, respectively, but his bat has lagged behind with an 82 OPS+. Jeff McNeil has filled in admirably despite being 33-years-old and learning the position on the fly. Still, Taylor’s offensive struggles made center field a clear area for a potential upgrade, which is something David Stearns and the Mets’ front office addressed at the trade deadline.

On deadline day, the Mets acquired Cedric Mullins from the Baltimore Orioles, aiming to raise both the floor and the ceiling of production in center. Mullins is a former All-Star who broke out in 2021 with a spectacular season – compiling 6.2 bWAR and 6.0 fWAR while becoming a member of the 30–30 club. He followed that with a strong 2022 campaign (4.0 bWAR, 3.7 fWAR), although his offensive production dipped from a 137 OPS+ in 2021 to 107 in 2022. The next two seasons continued that trend, with Mullins posting OPS+ marks of 101 and 104 in 2023 and 2024, respectively.

From 2021 through 2024, a lot of Mullins’ value came from his defense. Over that stretch, he posted 28 OAA and 2.6 defensive bWAR. However, in 2025, the defensive metrics have been mixed. While Statcast places Mullins in the 83rd percentile in OAA, Baseball Reference has him at -1.2 defensive bWAR, which explains the disparity between his 1.2 fWAR and 0.1 bWAR this season.

So, why Mullins, and what are his strengths and weaknesses?

Mullins, as of August 1, is slashing .229/.305/.433 with a 107 OPS+, 15 home runs and 14 stolen bases in 355 plate appearances. While that may not jump off the page, it’s a well-rounded profile for a team in need of stability in center. His offensive value is supported by solid baserunning (14-for-18 on stolen base attempts and 83rd percentile sprint speed) as well as a knack for hitting with runners in scoring position (.769 OPS in those situations).

Under the hood, Mullins is remarkably consistent—but not necessarily in a good way. Here’s a look at his expected stats over the past four seasons:

• Year – xBA / xwOBA / xSLG
• 2022 – .232 / .288 / .349
• 2023 – .227 / .291 / .356
• 2024 – .227 / .291 / .355
• 2025 – .216 / .291 / .361

Every year since 2022, Mullins has “outperformed” his expected stats. His OPS+, however, has hovered between 101 and 107—mirroring his battled ball consistency as well. Beyond his expected slash line, Mullins doesn’t hit the ball particularly hard (35th percentile average exit velocity at 89 MPH), has a below-average barrel rate (30th percentile) and a swing speed in the 34th percentile (71.1 MPH). But he makes up for that with an elite pulled fly ball rate—currently sitting at 30.8%, which is among the best in the league. So despite not barreling the ball at an elite rate, he converts his barrels into production by pulling the ball. Mullins has also shown signs of improvement: his ground ball rate has dropped from 41% in 2022 to 30.8% this year, and his walk rate has climbed from 7.0% to 9.6%.

That said, there are flaws. Mullins strikes out better than league average (23.9%) and has one of the weakest arms in baseball—ranking in the first percentile in arm value per Statcast. For comparison, Taylor is in the 99th percentile in that metric.

Ultimately, Mullins is a solid, if imperfect, addition. He provides speed, occasional pop, strong center field instincts and a consistent—if unspectacular—bat. Importantly, the Mets didn’t give up any top-20 prospects in the deal, according to Michael Mayer’s midseason rankings.

While some (myself included) may have preferred the upside of someone like Luis Robert Jr., it’s hard to criticize the front office when Robert Jr. wasn’t moved. Mullins may not be a game-changer, but for a team that needed a dependable glove and a competent bat in center field, he’s a perfectly reasonable addition.

The post Deep Dive Into The Newest Mets Outfielder, Cedric Mullins appeared first on Metsmerized Online.