Cedric Mullins is on the move on trade deadline day. The Orioles are shipping their veteran center fielder off to the Mets, as first reported by MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo
. According to DiComo, the Orioles received a trio of minor leaguers in the deal, all of whom are pitchers: Raimon Gómez, Anthony Nunez, and Chandler Marsh. Just like that, the longest tenured Oriole is gone.At least based on what these guys have been doing in 2025, this is an all-reliever trade return for Mullins. Gómez and Marsh
were pitching for New York’s High-A affiliate at the time of the deal, with Nunez slightly more advanced at Double-A.
Nunez, 24, has a fascinating career arc of being drafted out of high school as a hitter, washing out, going to college and signing as an free agent last year. This righty pitcher was the highest-ranked prospect of the bunch on MLB Pipeline’s updated Mets list at #14. At Baseball America, he came in at 27th. Pipeline on Nunez:
He’ll touch 96 mph with his pair of fastballs but has added a low-90s cutter that’s become a better weapon out of the pro bullpen, especially with how it plays compared to the wackier movement of his other offerings. ... Because of the pair, Nunez has dominated batters from both sides in the first three months of ’25.
He started the season at High-A and held batters to a .068 average against him before being promoted to Double-A, where he’s still holding them to a .146 average. Pretty good! It’s a sub-1 WHIP even with a walk rate of about one every other inning. We’ll have to see how that plays out, but he’s tracking like a fast-mover who could be in the mix for a bullpen spot some time next year.
Gómez, 23, is a righty from Venezuela who had Tommy John surgery in 2023 that cost him all of the 2024 season. In his return this year, he’s been walking batters like it’s going out of style, so even though he’s holding batters to a .176 average, his 6.1 BB/9 is keeping him from succeeding. He was the #22 Mets prospect on BA’s ranking and #30 at Pipeline. BA on Gómez:
Before tearing his elbow ligament, he pitched at 96-98 mph and hit 100 with good riding life on a double-plus four-seam fastball. ... The Mets were impressed with how Gomez attacked his rehab. He used his down time to build strength and lean up his 6-foot-2 frame. ... It’s just as easy to see Gomez rocket through the minors as a high-leverage reliever.
Unless the Orioles have something different planned, it’s looking like it’ll be relief for Gómez. It’s a bad walk rate, but as far as Orioles pitching development goes, it is worth recalling that Félix Bautista was walking guys at a comical rate until he was 26.
Marsh, who turns 23 in September, was an undrafted free agent out of Georgia last year. He was a reliever in college and that’s carried over into pro ball. Between Low-A and High-A this season, Marsh has struck out 52 batters in 42 innings, with a WHIP of about 1 at the High-A level.
Does it suck to trade Mullins for three relievers? Undoubtedly. He’s been a player we’ve thought about for a long time and his home run/stolen base double threat has made him one of the more unique players in franchise history. Over the last week, he’s been making clutch defensive plays as if putting on a show for the fanbase one last time.
It’s not been a great final season as an Oriole for the 30-year-old Mullins. He was a negative bWAR player until a hot streak within the last few days. Some defensive metrics think he’s fine while others are really down on him. That has surely impacted the value the Orioles could get for him. Now, he’s got a chance to win the World Series. The Mets will not be hard for Orioles fans to adopt as this postseason approaches and plays out.
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