The New York Mets have constructed a super bullpen on Wednesday after they brought in Tyler Rogers from the San Francisco Giants and Ryan Helsley from the St. Louis Cardinals to pair alongside Edwin Diaz. There were still two more tasks remaining, one of them being to acquire a center fielder.
On Thursday, with a little under two hours left before the 6:00 p.m. deadline, the Mets agreed to terms with the Baltimore Orioles to acquire outfielder Cedric Mullins. The cost was prospects Anthony Nunez (No. 14 ranked), Raimon Gonzalez (No. 30 ranked), and Chandler Marsh.
The Mets have desperately been seeking another bat to their lineup, preferably one that plays center field. Even though Tyrone Taylor is a good defensive outfielder, he's not producing at the plate. So, what does the Mets' lineup look like now?
For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop during the MLB season.
Projected Mets lineup after acquiring Cedric Mullins from Orioles
Order | Player | Position |
|---|---|---|
1 | Brandon Nimmo | LF |
2 | Francisco Lindor | SS |
3 | Juan Soto | RF |
4 | Pete Alonso | 1B |
5 | Jeff McNeil | 2B |
6 | Mark Vientos | DH |
7 | Cedric Mullins | CF |
8 | Francisco Alvarez | C |
9 | Brett Baty | 3B |
The top of the batting order remains the same, with Brandon Nimmo leading off, Francisco Lindor batting second, Juan Soto batting third, and Pete Alonso in the cleanup spot. From there, things get interesting.
With Mullins entering the fray, that would, realistically, put Jeff McNeil back to second base. He's simply too good to leave on the bench. Mark Vientos, who has rebounded as of late at the plate, slots in as the designated hitter. From there, the seventh spot is a safe spot for Mullins.
Mullins is going to get playing time against left-handed pitching, as he thrives against them. This season, Mullins has recorded a .298 batting average, a .390 on-base percentage, a .476 slugging percentage, three home runs, nine RBI, and 25 hits in 84 at-bats (56 games). Those are great numbers to add to a lineup when facing a left-handed starting pitcher.
Rounding out the lineup is Francisco Alvarez, who is hitting well in his return from a stint in Triple-A, and Brett Baty, who is too good defensively to leave on the bench.
The Mets lineup is better than it was entering Thursday. While Mullins' overall numbers this season aren't great, we have seen what he can do when he's at his best, and that's a plus for the Mets.