The New York Mets have been among the most active teams at this year's MLB trade deadline. They completely overhauled their bullpen by acquiring Gregory Soto, Tyler Rogers and Ryan Helsley in three separate deals, and now, they've acquired the center fielder they've desperately needed, landing Cedric Mullins in a deal with the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for three prospects, according to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com.
Raimon Gomez, Anthony Nunez and Chandler Marsh are going back to Baltimore, per source.
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) July 31, 2025
Center field has been an issue all season, with Jose Siri missing most of the year due to injury and Tyrone Taylor struggling mightily offensively. It had been so bad to the point where the team had been using Jeff McNeil, primarily a second baseman, out of position.
To fill that void, the Mets had been linked to Luis Robert Jr. ad nauseam, and for good reason. Robert felt like the high-risk, high-reward addition the Mets could afford to acquire. Instead, with the White Sox reportedly taking him off the market, they landed on Mullins, an outfielder who has had great moments but has been mired in a prolonged slump at the plate.
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Mets pass on Luis Robert Jr., acquire Cedric Mullins to fill center field void
To be clear, this is a clear upgrade for the Mets. As admirable as it's been watching Jeff McNeil play center field, it's hard to envision him doing so regularly for a team with World Series aspirations down the stretch. Mullins is a really solid defensive center fielder, which David Stearns values, and he offers far more offensive upside than Tyrone Taylor.
With that being said, this hasn't exactly been the best season of Mullins' career. He got off to a raging hot start, but he's slashing .207/.251/.396 since the start of May with nine home runs and 29 RBI. I will say Mullins has 10 hits in his last 23 at-bats, covering seven games, so perhaps he's found his way out of that prolonged slump. The Mets certainly hope so.
I think Robert would've been a better addition given his MVP-caliber upside, but Mullins is not a bad get, and the Mets ultimately wouldn't have been wise to have given up too much for Robert when Mullins, ultimately, was acquired for a very reasonable price. Mullins still has All-Star upside when he's right. Hopefully, the Mets can get the most out of him in the two or three months he'll be in Queens.
Mets trade grade: B-
The Orioles probably didn't want to trade Mullins now, when he's been mired in such a prolonged slump, but ultimately, with the team out of contention and Mullins on an expiring contract, they had little choice but to trade him. The return they got isn't great, but it's not as if Mullins was ever going to fetch an outstanding return with how he's been playing.
The highest-ranked prospect per MLB Pipeline's rankings is Anthony Nunez, New York's No. 14 prospect. Nunez, a 24-year-old right-handed reliever, has had a strong year mostly for Double-A Binghamton and could conceivably be part of Baltimore's bullpen down the stretch.
The most intriguing piece of the deal is Raimon Gomez, who has hit 104.5 mph with his fastball this season. His numbers in High-A aren't stellar, but he's obviously an arm worth betting on.
The third piece is Chandler Marsh, an undrafted free agent the Mets signed in 2024 who has also performed well out of the bullpen in Double-A.
It might not be anything crazy when it comes to a return, but again, Mullins was never going to bring back anything splashy. The Orioles got three intriguing arms, one of which has absurd upside if he can locate in Gomez. Pretty even deal for both sides overall.
Orioles trade grade: B
This story will be updated.