Rays sign outfielder Cedric Mullins

Cedric Mullins (Mogami Kariya, Wikimedia Commons)

The Tampa Bay Rays have signed outfielder Cedric Mullins of Greensboro, North Carolina to a one-year deal worth $7 million according to Mack Baltes of The Sporting News on Thursday.

The Rays are the third team Mullins has played for. He previously spent seven complete seasons with the Baltimore Orioles before sharing last season with the Orioles and New York Mets.

In 2024, Mullins batted .216 with 17 home runs and 59 runs batted in. During 133 games, 435 at bats, and 498 plate appearances, he scored 58 runs and had 94 hits, 23 doubles, one triple, 22 stolen bases, 50 walks, 170 total bases, three sacrifice bunts, six sacrifice flies, an on base percentage of .299 and a slugging percentage of .391. The triple came in a 12-7 Mets win over the Atlanta Braves on August 22. The .216 batting average was Mullins’s lowest batting average since 2019. Mullins had a massive opening day for Baltimore. He had two home runs and five runs batted in during a 12-2 Baltimore win over the Toronto Blue Jays.

Mullins’s most notable season came in 2021. That is when he was an American League All-Star and won the Silver Slugger Award while playing outfield. Mullins had career highs in home runs (30), runs scored (91), hits (175), doubles (37), triples (five), walks (59), batting average (.391), on base percentage (.360), slugging percentage (.518), and total bases (312). Also in 2021, Mullins had 59 runs batted in, 30 stolen bases, one sacrifice bunt, and four sacrifice flies. Speaking of sacrifice flies, that is the category Mullins led the American League in during the 2024 American League season with four.

Mullins currently bats left. Earlier in his career, he was a switch hitter.