Baseball News

Astronauts are interested in Cedric Mullins

It’s no surprise that Astros general manager Dana Brown is willing to add some left-handed hitting desire to Houston with his right-handed roster, and the club reportedly is interested in players who might be one of the most attractive rental bats on the deadline. Bob Nightengale of the United States today Cedric Mullins”, but did not elaborate whether Houston is currently only considering Mullins, or whether there were any exploratory conversations at the Astros and Orioles front desks.

The 30-year-old Mullins hit .213/.295/.413, having 12 home runs with 272 cricket appearances this season, almost averaging 101 WRC+. Most of his success was in the first four weeks as Mullins performed well in the first 111 sets of 2025, but then he hit the .161/.197/.329 slash line (for .526 OPS) on the next 158 ​​plates. He also had very little work on the 10-day IL due to hamstring strains in late May and early June, but Mullins’ fate did not improve after returning to action.

Apart from his respected tide and walking rates, Mullins’ statcast numbers are otherwise blue oceans, his struggle speeches over the past two months. His 25.7% strikeout rate is particularly troublesome, as it can easily be the highest of his eight Major League Baseball seasons. Mullins’ 55.4% fly rate is also the highest in his career, with his .202 isolated power figure being the second highest in his career, so while he has significantly changed his WRC+ Fapoath in his way of seeking more power, it hinders his overall productivity on the plate.

With a modest career 107 WRC+ entering 2025, Mullins’ value is only closely related to his bats. He stole 115 bases in 143 attempts in 2021-24, though Mullins is only 8-for-10 so far in 2025. Public defendive metrics have generally been mixed on his center field glovework, and this season has had one of the biggest splits of opinion yet — the Outs Above Aveerage metrics puts Mullins at +1 for his 550 1/3 innings in center, while Defensive Runs Saved has him at a dismal -15.

since Jack Meyers Being one of the best defensive midfielders in the game, the Astronauts almost certainly won’t use Mullins in the middle anyway. Rookie Cam Smith He made a very solid accountant to himself during his first Major League Baseball season, so if Mullins does eventually arrive in Houston, the left field would be the most likely landing point. The chain reaction here may be sent Jose Altuve Go back to his second full-time base, as Altuve’s gloves don’t fit well with the left court this season.

Mullins’ salary this season is half of $8.725mm, which is already paid, and if traded directly on the July 31 deadline, he will still have 2.8mm left. Houston is trying to keep an open secret under the 241mm luxury tax threshold, so Mullins’ relatively small salary is still appropriate even in the team’s relatively narrow financial window. RosterResource puts Astros’ current tax number expected to be around 235.5mm, which gives the club some (but not much) deadline space.

Mullins’ low pay could have caught his attention, and he still entered the deadline even though his numbers were insufficient in the past two months. Multiple clubs may be looking at his past record rather than his most direct result, and the “change of scenery” factor may also play a role.

It’s reasonable to think that Astronauts may wait until later in July to trigger any big deals, as the team may need to understand more clearly Yordan Alvarez There are other injured players before deciding on any roster upgrade. Alvarez missed nearly two months due to hand injury Joe Espada Telling reporters (including Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle) that Alvarez will face field pitching at the Astros’ minor league factory this week. Outfielder Chas McCormick Will join Alvarez’s mission as McCormick missed recovering from the tilted strain last month.

The Orioles’ victory against the Rays today raised their record to 36-47, and Baltimore is now 21-19 since Tony Mansolino took over as manager from Brandon Hyde. GM Mike Elias gave a candid assessment of the club’s situation yesterday in a comment with reporters and said the Orioles are currently preparing to be a buyer and seller, and a clearer decision will be made as July develops.

This could mean Mullins and other upcoming free agents will be natural trade candidates on July 31. Even if O’s O does manage to catch them back in the Pennant race, Mullins may still be relocated to meet the needs of another lineup, similar to how Baltimore trades. Austin Hays (also in the last year his team controlled) to last year’s Philadelphia’s deadline. Of course, Mullins’ struggles have not done much to help his trade value, nor has he had the chance to secure a solid multi-year contract as a free agent this winter.

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button