PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Rays were busy in free agency, looking to add in areas of need after missing the playoffs for the last two seasons.
Of those needs, one is in the outfield, and the reason why Tampa Bay signed new center fielder Cedric Mullins this offseason.
For Mullins, he’s also looking for a fresh start.
“100 percent. I’m always trying to better myself,” Mullins said. “I always look at myself and say that I can do better. It’s a matter of taking the offseason, reflecting on how the season went, and trying to make adjustments to be better every day.”
Mullins is coming off the worst season of his career. In 2025, he was traded from Baltimore to the New York Mets at the trade deadline.
He admits that it was a difficult transition to leave the organization he spent eight seasons with and the organization that drafted him.
“It was one of those things where I truly thought that I might have been an Oriole my whole career,” Mullins said. “But things fell into place where there was change needed with the organization, and I was part of that change. Tough adjustments, but now that I’m kind of acclimated to what it feels like to be with a new team and getting to know guys outside of the surface level in a short period of time, the adjustments are coming around.”
Mullins had a breakout season with Baltimore in 2021 when he hit 30 home runs, won a Silver Slugger Award and was top ten in American League MVP voting.
But the Rays aren’t necessarily looking for that Cedric Mullins.
“What we said to Cedric, you look at 2023-24 and 25 in Baltimore,” Rays president Erik Neander said. “Let’s thrown the Mets part aside. That version of Cedric Mullins is more than enough for us. Take some of the pressure off, don’t worry about being the 2021 version, we will happily take and appreciate that 23, 24, 25 Baltimore version. Hits 15 (home runs), is dependable in center field, plays it as clean as anybody.”
The Tampa Bay outfield corps struggled last season, combining for the fewest home runs in the Majors with 29. Mullins' bat will be a welcome addition, along with his glove.
“Cedric is going to be a guy that leads by example out here,” Rays’ manager Kevin Cash said. “His route efficiency is as good as anybody in baseball, just being so direct to the ball.”
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