Adam Jones played center field for almost all of his time in Baltimore, but the Orioles Hall of Famer moved to right field on August 10, 2018 to make room for Cedric Mullins. Jones encouraged Mullins to lead the team out of the dugout, and O’s skipper Buck Showalter praised Mullins as the right guy to take the spot.
Mullins went 3-for-4 that night with a pair of doubles, two RBIs and three runs scored. He was the right guy to take over for one of the organization’s best outfielders, but it didn’t
come without some trials and tribulations. Mullins slashed .094/.181/.156 over his first 22 games in 2019 before returning to the minors. He slipped all the way back to Double-A before scraping his way back to Baltimore.
You all know the story from here. Mullins abandoned his switch hitting approach before an All Star campaign in 2021. The speedy center fielder posted a 6.2 bWAR while becoming the only player to post a 30/30 season in franchise history.
The Orioles probably never expected Mullins to duplicate his career year from 2021. He posted a valuable 4.0 bWAR in 2022 while pairing 16 homers with 34 stolen bases. He missed some time during a 2.8 bWAR season in 2023, and he posted 2.6 bWAR over 147 games in 2024. He failed to reach 20 homers in all three of those seasons while profiling as a league-average hitter (107, 101, 104 OPS +).
Mullins entered 2025 in his final year of arbitration. Fellow outfielder Colton Cowser had been named the American League Outstanding Rookie by his peers the year prior, and the Orioles had former first-round pick Enrique Bradfield Jr. developing in the minors. That being said, Mullins was still viewed as a leader and valued veteran on a team hoping to make a deep postseason run.
That run never materialized. Mullins showed some pop with 15 homers over 91 games, but his 106 OPS+ fell in line with the three previous years. Despite publicly expressing his desire to stay, Mullins likely never received any type of extension offer from the front office.
As the trade deadline approached, Mullins emerged as a player that could potentially fetch some value. His skills and limitations had been on display for several years in Baltimore, and he clearly had the potential to help a contending team in need of a speedy center fielder with some power. The New York Mets took the bait.
The Mets sent three minor-league pitchers to Baltimore in exchange for the 30-year-old outfielder. Unfortunately, Mullins did not play to his full potential in The Big Apple.
The former Oriole slashed .182/.284/.281 over 42 games with two homers and a 62 OPS+. He made a few uncharacteristic mistakes in the field, and his struggles at the plate led to some loud chirps from Mets twitter. The Mets found a way to miss the playoffs at 83-79, and Mullins became a free agent the day after the World Series.
The O’s received Raimon Gomez, Chandler Marsh and Anthony Nunez in the deal. Nunez quickly emerged as the most intriguing of the three arms. The converted position player has only one full season of professional pitching experience under his belt, but he made his way to Triple-A by the end of 2025. The righty posted a 2.06 ERA, 0.812 WHIP and 83 strikeouts over three levels last season
Nunez would have become Rule-5 eligible this offseason, but the Orioles added him to the 40-man roster last week. The reliever averaged 96 MPH with his 4-seam fastball, 94.9 MPH with his sinker, and 90.3 MPH with the cutter. His “offspeed pitches” came in at 86.1 MPH (slider) and 88 MPH (changeup).
Nunez should head to spring training competing for a spot in a reworked Orioles bullpen. Even if the righty begins the year back at Triple-A, Nunez will give the Orioles a talented young arm with minor league options for 2026 and beyond.
Chandler Marsh will need some more seasoning before knocking on the big league door, but the 23-year-old made a strong impression for his new organization. Marsh posted a 1.80 ERA and 0.900 WHIP over 9 appearances for the IronBirds. The reliever struck out 11 batters and walked three over 10 innings of work.
Raimon Gomez never pitched in the O’s organization after suffering a lower back strain in early August. The righty dominated in six games at Low-A before struggling to control the ball with the Brooklyn Cyclones. Gomez will likely begin the year at High-A with a focus on throwing strikes in the Orioles pitching program.
It was difficult to see Mullins go and even tougher to watch him struggle with the Mets. Mullins will likely look for a fresh start with a new team this offseason. Baltimore’s recent signing of Leody Taveras likely decreases a marginal chance of a reunion, but anything is possible until Mullins signs with a new team.
