Tampa Bay Rays SIGN Free Agent Cedric Mullins as Starting Center Fielder

Tampa Bay Rays SIGN Free Agent Cedric Mullins as Starting Center Fielder

The Rays have surprised us and didn’t add a depth piece in the outfield. Rather, they went for a starting center fielder. You are Locked on Rays, your daily Tampa Bay Rays podcast, part of the Locked on Podcast Network, your team every day. Welcome in to the Locked on Rays podcast. Lockdown Rays is part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, now the number one sports podcast network, your team every day. And we are Kevin and Ulissiz, and we are lifelong Rays fans who have been podcasting about the Tampa Bay Rays since 2019. Later on today’s show, we take a look at how Cedric Mullins can mentor Chandler Simpson in a few minutes. The Rays have high hopes for a bounceback season from Mullins in 2026. But to start, the Rays of course invested $7 million to get their starting center fielder in Cedric Mullins. And we’re going to talk about all of that thanks to FanDuel. Right now, new customers can bet just $5. And if your bet wins, you’ll get $300 in bonus bets to use across the app. Download the FanDuel app today. They surprised us, but guess what? Cedric Mullins gives the Rays a real starting center fielder again. Kevin, nobody saw this coming, I think. Um, from the rumor mill, this was incredibly quiet, which is kind of cool. I like surprise signings like that than the ones that are rumored all the time. So, this was awesome to see. Um, let’s talk about the fact that they didn’t just add from the outside and like, oh, another guy who can battle it out and and during spring training and see what he can do. No, Cedric Mullins is the starting center fielder for this race team in 2026. Um, and his glove, his range is still out there, man. This guy can still track it down. Yeah, he’s only 31, been in the league for eight, nine years now. We know he has a lot of familiarity with the AL East and playing in the trop. In fact, I think he’s done some damage against the Rays over the years. But what you are alluding to, Ulisses, is that this move is more punchy than Ryan Valade or Jake Freilley. This is a move where you are putting your foot down and saying, “We really do want to improve our outfield for 2026, and we want to have a prototypical starter in center field. We don’t want to necessarily play the platoon game all the time. Not to say that Cedric Mullins won’t get a day off, but you if you’re the Rays and I know to, you know, 25 other teams, it’s not a lot of money, but when you invest $7 million in one year to a player, you expect that player to be on the active roster and to get a lot of meaningful action in at bats and played appearances and to hopefully uh make a positive impact on the roster, which I think Cedric Mullen will do. like you said, totally under the radar. I mean, we we talked about all the outfield options, uh, ones that were certainly unrealistic like Kyle Tucker and Cody Bellinger. And then, uh, you know, there were some mentions of, hey, hey, the Rays should go out and sign Mike Estreky. But, uh, the Rays do things a little bit differently and they targeted Cedric Mullins. I have a theory that maybe Brandon Hyde, the former Orioles manager who is now in the Rays front office as a senior adviser, may have given a little wink wink nudge nudge to uh Eric Neander and his team saying, “Hey, Cedric Mullen still has it.” And you can get him on a relatively solid deal. And here’s the thing, I want to stop. Yeah. With that, it has I mean, it’s too much of a coincidence. I’m sure the Rays were already looking into Cedric Mullins. they do their due diligence with everybody. But if if we can picture that interview process, right, with with Brendan Hyde because obviously there had to be a conversation before you hire somebody in that conversation, the name Cedric Mullins might have popped up or the from from Hyde’s perspective uh saying like this is a guy made the race saying, “Hey, yeah, we we really, you know, have an issue with our outfield.” And then the name Cedric Mullins pops up again. I I would find it very difficult to believe that there was no mention of Cedric Mullins at all uh during that interview or conversation process. And I know that sometimes things have to be like all buttoned up and legal and we can’t discuss anything, but you know, under behind closed doors, I feel like that’s a conversation that that was definitely had. I I think it was for sure. And you know, we’ve talked about it. Do the Rays really have a need for another left-handed hitter or another left-handed outfielder? And common logic would say no, not necessarily. But Cedric Mullins does it in a different different way because he does have legitimate power. And uh at least last year he was you could qualify it as a reverse split or neutral split guy where his batting average in OPS uh and some of those numbers were noticeably higher against left-handed pitching verse right-handed pitching. Now he had more power facing righties because he just got a lot more appearances, but he might be a guy that you can deploy against certain lefties and play against a lot of righties as well. And now the question is what happens to the rest of the outfield group because that center field is accounted for assuming that Josh Lew is healthy right field is accounted for. So it’s a lot of lot of remaining guys on the 40man roster soon to be the 26-man roster that are going to be fighting for playing time. And that makes me wonder if, you know, there’s a a trade on the four or this is just part of a a larger move. We’ve secured a starting center fielder for next year. Now we can, you know, work to swing a deal uh for a catcher or a pitcher, whatever it may be. Because you look at the list of name I the list of outfielders on the roster is growing exponentially. It seems it’s like they’re hoarding outfielders, bro. Duca, Freilley, Josh, Mangum, Palasios, Peters, Simpson, Valade. Dude, that’s eight right there. Obviously, uh, you need depth, but this is something else. There has to be traits happening soon. Uh, I don’t think Ryan Valade is seeing uh, a lot of playing time if I can be quite honest. No, he’s he’s probably starting. He’s just a depth piece in LA until something happens. Tristan Peters kind of the same same deal. It’s it’s the other guys that you know are going to be have to to look to move like you just have to move them. Like there’s just no way that you can you can sustain all this, especially in the 26-man roster. Now, can the do these guys have options? And some of them do. So that that’s something that you can play with. But man, it’s it’s really interesting. I really like that this guy can still get it in center field. I mean, when you look at his um outs above average, he’s still over the 85th percentile. So, you know that he can actually go get it. He’s played at the trap, like you said, multiple times. I mean, that’s eight years in in Baltimore. I mean, he has played against the race so long that I that he used to play when there were 19 18 games against division rivals. Now, it’s only 13. That’s how long he’s been playing. He’s he had to do both. So, I like the fact that you get a guy who you just plop in center field and you say, “You are the starter.” Yeah. And he’s certainly he’s he’s got the range. Combine that with the speed. Yes. Even though he’s been in the league for eight plus years and he’s 31 years old, he’s still one of the faster guys in the league and one of the better base runners in the league as well if you look at his stolen bases from the last couple years. And and we’ll get to all that. Um, you know, it’s interesting because Cedric Mullins really was on nobody’s radar. I think the fact that uh he wasn’t too successful with the Mets uh following the trade deadline in 2025 may have sapped his value to some extent, but uh we do believe that there is some more left in the tank for sure. So, let’s go ahead and take a look at the projections and expectations for Mullins in a raise uniform in 2026. The World Cup is coming back to North America for the first time since 1994. Yeah, you guessed it. Kevin and I were just three years old. And with 48 teams for the first time ever, it’s going to be massive. But let’s be honest, people getting tickets is going to be the hardest part. So, you got to avoid that. And you can avoid that by using Game Time. With Game Time, you can track price drops in real time. Get alerts when great seats open and buy tickets the moment they hit the app. It puts the power back in your hands and makes going to the World Cup realistic instead of impossible. So, why don’t you take out the guesswork from buying World Cup tickets for every match, every concert or event with Game Time? Download the Game Time app, create an account, and use code locked on MLB for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Again, download the app, make an account, and use code locked on MLB for $20 off. Swipe, tap, ticket, go game time. Thank you for listening to the Lock Race podcast and making us your very first listen of the day. Hey, we appreciate it. We are of course part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, the number one sports podcast network. Rays fans should hope for a resurgence offensively from Cedric Mullins. Uh we alluded to it in the last segment, the end of the last segment where uh he’s struggled mightily um in the back half of 2025. That was with the New York Mets where he did virtually nothing. But my argument is we can’t judge him on 42 games when he has an 8-year track record of sustainable performance. Not I’m not going out here on a limb and saying that, hey, he’s going to be who he was in 2021 where he was a 3030 guy and an all-star and a silver slugger winner. That that was his career year. He’s got that. That’ll be on his mantle forever. Congratulations to him. But what he can do year in and year out and what he still has the potential and capability to do is give you at least at least league average offense from a premium defensive position in center field and maybe even a little bit better than league average. I mean, if you look at what he’s been able to do the last couple years, again, 2021 was an outlier for sure, but other than that, you can pretty much pencil him in for 15 to 18 home runs and 20 to 25 to 30 stolen bases and he’ll give you an OPS of 720. That’s about what I’m looking for, assuming he gets the games under his belt and he gets, you know, 400 450 at bats. And the thing is, Kev, with the Mets stay, not only that it’s 42 games, but do we not remember what happened in 2025 in in in in Queens? I I’ll refresh you, guys, if you don’t remember. A massive collapse happened. So, imagine how fun it was to be the new guy in a clubhouse. not really uh burning the setting the world on fire and plus everybody around you is having a bad time. Yes, everybody’s having a bad time. You know, Lindor apparently has problems with McNeel and Sodto just comes in and out and doesn’t really talk to anybody. He’s just a I’m going to get my job. It’s it’s not great. And plus, there’s a collapse happening. I don’t care about the the stay at the Mets and and if you do um All right, fine. But I I disagree. I’m not going to judge a guy, like you said, eight years of sample size. I’m not going to take 42 games and say, “No, this is who he really is.” No, I’m not. That would be insane to I’ll judge him on 750 games and not 42 games. And it’s really his his struggles with the Mets probably more an indictment, like you mentioned, of the Mets than of Cedric Mullins. There’s really nothing Cedric Mullins can do. He’s not the the alpha in that room where he could be more of a a leader uh with the the Rays organization, but you’ve got the main stays like Alonzo and Lindor and Sodto and you just really can’t do anything about the downward slide of the clubhouse. You just get in, do your work the best you can, and then you hope for the offseason so you can get with a new team and a new organization. And we just we we know the challenges of you know being with a team since the beginning of your career you know seven plus years seven and a half years with the Orioles and then flip of a switch okay you’re going to New York not the Yankees but a totally different league. So it changes the and also let’s not let’s not forget you know minor leagues too right? So, like you if you’ve been in the organization for that long, it’s it’s going to hit you. But that’s the the positive outlook of, hey, don’t just look at the Mets uh stay. Okay, I we we’ve covered that. But we should also say the numbers have been trending down since 2021. Since 2021, the OPS has gone from 878, that career year, we’re not going to touch that. 878 it’s gone down to 721 721 710 690 so we see a trend down and but the 690 is with includes the Mets if we’re just talking about the Orioles it was 738 8 738 so hopefully there’s still an above 700 ops in the tank there we have to hope for that I think the clubhouse for the race has never been one that is known for chaotics or um bad behavior. You know, there’s there’s the bad apples. Mr. Number Five is one of them. Yeah. And you know, maybe that there was a little thing uh between Yandi and Randy not really getting along. But in that clubhouse, they won 99 games and 100 games with both of those guys in there. So, it’s not like it was horrible with a payroll under hundred million, right? So, I feel like we can both recognize that we shouldn’t judge Smallins on 40 games uh in Queens from last year, but we also have to recognize that I it it is it has been trending down his offensive production. We just hope right now, Kev, if we get Cedric Mullins to give us 15 to 18 bombs with a 720 730 OPS and he’s doing center field like we have seen him do against the race for almost a decade and field his position rather well and be dynamic out there on the field with his speed and athleticism. This is a home run uh for $7 million. Yeah. And and I think that’s that’s the key is he is back in the comfort zone of the AL East. He knows what it’s like to play in the Trop. He knows what it’s like to face the Red Sox and the Blue Jays and the Yankees. And I would assume that he knows the roster of the Orioles pretty well. He knows the pitching staff pretty well. He knows how I as far as fielding goes, he knows where the guys on the Orioles hit the ball. So I think that can be very valuable as well. And if you’re just looking at the projections of baseball reference and fan graphs, they’re still relatively bullish on them. They still see, you know, 17 home runs, 20 plus stolen bases, 230 batting average, you know, ops above 700. And again, this isn’t for uh a third baseman or a first baseman. This is a center fielder. When when’s the last time that the Rays have had great offensive production from a center fielder? like great great uh I mean Siri had that one year was pretty good. Uh and then and then but but like I mean that not aesthetically pleasing if if if you if if if we can be honest on on and the dish a lot of home runs but a lot of strikeouts too and then maybe 2015 Kevin Kier like we’re going halfway it’s not that common for Rays fans to not only enjoy great defense but also enro enjoy a great bat. that just doesn’t really happen. And hopefully this is kind of the medium term. Like you’re going to get really nice defense, not the best. You’re going to get nice defense out there, but also you’re going to get some nice product. I mean, if the guy goes 17 bombs and 20 stolen bases, he be almost a 2020 center fielder like that. Yes, I’ll take that. Yeah. And and worse comes to worse. I mean, say he flames out and isn’t successful. Okay, it’s a one-year $7 million deal, right? Rays have invested more money and more years to players that haven’t turned out to, you know, that had struggles, be it injury or bad onfield performance. But I I I feel like Cedric Mullins is more of a known quantity just based on what he’s done year in and year out. I mean, I I can’t remember I don’t think there’s been any major major injury issues associated with him. If you just look at the games played uh over the last several several years, no, it has been 159, 156, 147, 133. There was one season where he played 116. So, there was definitely an injury there. But overall, yeah, very nice, healthy guy. So, I’m I’m looking forward to it. But that $7 million like you’re saying, it’s not only coming with the hopes of, hey, maybe a little offensive resurgency here. Hey, let’s hope that he has a good defense behind him still, but it also comes with the fact that he could also help mentor uh a certain guy. NFL Sundays move fast, one big play, and suddenly everything feels different. That’s what makes live betting with FanDuel so exciting. You’re not just watching the game, you’re reacting to it in real time. With FanDuel, you can place bets as the action unfolds. Every drive, every momentum swing, every highlight moment. Live betting is best when the game starts to shift. A receiver gets hot, a defense tightens up, or the momentum flips after a turnover. And FanDuel lets you jump into the moment with live spreads and money lines adjusting instantly, player props updating as guys heat up, and then you can bet next touchdown scores, drive results, totals, and more. 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The reps are not there, which is why I wanted him to play winter league ball this this offseason. But you know what also helps? Having a guy that’s been there and done that. Yes. Like Cedric Mullins who’s had uh similar experiences that is able to kind of mentor Chandler and show him around. And I like that Cedric Mullins is a guy who’s not just completely oblivious to what it’s like to play at the Trop. know he’s been an AL East rival so he has played there a ton of time in the outfield so he knows what to expect he’s he knows the turf I think this is a another added value on that $7 million that you can say hey we can also help Chandler by having Cedric just learn as much as he can from him 100% and I’ll be curious to see how that dynamic plays out because presumably Cedric Mullins is the starter in center field. You also want to get Chandler Simpson playing time. So, do you try to get Chandler Simpson work in the corners in addition to center field? Do you have Cedric Mullen’s work with him in spring training and then Chandler Simpson starts the season in AAA? I mean, that’s all to be determined. I mean, I think you want to try to get Chandler Simpson if if he’s up in the majors, try to get him as many reps as possible. But I think it’s it’s a solid fit from the perspective of, you know, I know Cedric Mullins was previously a switch hitter, but a left-handed guy with speed, undersized. Um, and if you look at some of the the metrics and the batted ball data, Cedric Mullins doesn’t necessarily hit the ball very hard. Um, but somehow someway he finds a way to get you 15 to 18 homes plus that 2021 season where he hit 30. Now, I’m not going to go crazy and give you a hot take and say, “Hey, Chandler Simpson’s going to be able to hit home runs like Cedric Mullins, but he might be able to work with Chandler Simpson to find a way to get him some extra base hits and and maybe pop one over the fence every now and again. But I think this is he is the proper mentor for Chandler Simpson because he’s been there, done that. He was a guy who, you know, had to overcome a lot because Mullen, you know, just like Chandler Simpson has we we love his speed, we love his ability to make contact, but um there’s also the thing, well, he doesn’t have any power, so how how can we play him every day? Cedric Mullins was, you know, a mid-round draft pick out of Campbellville University. It took him a couple years to find his footing. So, I feel like he can kind of work with Simpson and and have the understanding of the struggle it takes to overcome being uh I mean, being an undersized player and having a a knock against you for for one reason or another uh to ultimately make it through, push through the glass ceiling, and be a successful ball player. And I know that, you know, if you if you read some of the articles on Chandler Simp or Cedric Mullins rather, it’s he I I don’t get the sense that he’s like a super vocal raw guy. He’s not Kevin Kier for example, but he’s more of a lead by example, quiet but influential, just a competitive player with first mentality, which I think not only helps Chandler Simpson, but can help the whole roster as well. Yeah. And also, it kind of seems like Chandler is that guy, too. Chandler doesn’t seem like a rah rah very boisterous guy. He just seems kind of like, you know, at least not in interviews or in the dugout. He’s not like jumping all he’s not that guy, you know. He’s not Will Thomas, right? He’s not Willie Adamis. He’s not Chris Morell. So, I think that that actually might be able to even give them a better common ground of like, you know, personalitywise, they might gel uh much much easier. But to the point of being a mentor on the field, I think having a guy that knows how to play center field is going to make him a better left fielder because I think like that’s how you slot in Chandler Simpson at least to start this season. You make him the left fielder and now you actually have a center fielder who can be a general out there who can know this is where I take the ball. This is where you can start doing it. And then that gives Chandler Simpson a focus. It gives him uh expectations. It gives him setting a goal. So like this is my parameter. This is what I take care of because I know that that guy has my back for everything else. And so like now you’re trying to give Chandler Simpson a lane where he can focus on. I think that is going to make him better. But not only that, when you rub shoulders off with somebody who’s really good at their job, who knows a lot, you’re going to be absorbing that knowledge day in day out, sometimes even subconsciously. So, this is just, I think, a great way to improve outfield defense because, let’s be honest, I believe they were ranked 28th uh in outfield defense last year. It wasn’t pretty the Rays outfield. Yeah, you can talk about Steinbrerfield. Yeah, you can talk about rookies, but you still have to fix it. Uh you can’t just blame on excuses. And I think this is a great starting step to do that. And then this step hopefully becomes a little bit cross-pollination with the knowledge that Cedric can give Chandler Simpson obviously. Yeah, I think that’s huge. Plus, you know, maybe some of the outfielders that are on the comeup as well, but in particular Chandler Simpson. And I think that again, you don’t get to be lasting in the major leagues for eight, nine years by accident. You have to be doing something right. You have to be doing you have to be so good and so professional that you’re able to stick around. And I think that Cedric Mullen certainly has the I let me put it like this. I think Chandler Simpson would be more willing to listen and take food for thought from Cedric Mullins than Jake Frillley, for example. because Cedric Mullins is more I’m not going to call him a superstar by any means, but he he has more name recognition than Jake Freilley. He’s been, you know, the a starter year in and year out, plus that 2021 season, like we mentioned, the All-Star, the Silver Slugger, the first Oral to join the 3030 club. And I I I really like your point about Cedric Mullins being the field general, calling the shots in center field, directing traffic out there like Kevin Kier did for so many years. And eventually because Cedric Mullins is on a one-year $7 million deal that can give Chandler Simpson an idea of what is required from being a center fielder if he eventually if if if that eventually is his lane of you you have to be the quarterback out there essentially and this is how you make the calls. Who was able to give him that knowledge last year? I’ll wait. I’ll hang up and listen to everybody. Nobody. Nobody had that to give him last year. So I think this is great and we’re focusing on Chandler Simpson because when you look at that list Kev Duca Freillley Josh Mangum Palasios Peters Valade and Simpson who’s going to be here in four years I I would say Chandler Simpson based on Simpson his elite speed is just something that you have to build upon. You have to squeeze every you know ounce of of talent out of there. So Taylor Simpson, you’re going to build around him. Taylor Simpson is going to play with Junior Cimeo a long time. You’re going to want to keep Taylor Simpson for at least his rookie contract of seven years, 100% unless a a a trade offer comes and and blows you away. So that’s why you have to do right by Chandler’s development. You’re already kind of sped him up through the outfield uh professionally. He never played that position and he was a second baseman. So you have to do right by him. Get him somebody he can learn from. Somebody who’s been there, done that, who’s going to speak on on common ground. And hopefully that will give you, you know, that’ll pay off dividends in the next three, four years. And you know, going back a little call back to a previous episode, maybe that’s why the Rays are targeting a Catel Marte. They’re they’re trying to get as much power in the lineup. So they are okay and satisfied with the fact that Chandler Simpson will probably give you zero bombs for the entirety of the time unless it’s a inside the park home run. Expect a lot of doubles and triples. And the other thing too I think that cemented this deal just going back to what we talked earlier in the episode. I think that was probably one of the questions of hey we’re looking at we we need to add an outfielder that has some offense. Who’s available? Okay, we have these list of names and then having Brandon Hyde in the fold saying, “No, this guy Cedric Mullins will be a good piece for Chandler Simpson.” And how is he in the club? Brandon, how is he in the clubhouse? Do you like his attitude? Boom. He’s great. Dot. He’s a leader. It’s done. Done deal. All right, let’s give him one year, $7 million. Call it a day. So, very good. All right. Uh, we hope you all enjoyed this episode. But hopefully you all are as excited about Cedric Mullins as we are. Again, we’re not getting Kyle Tucker. I don’t know. Kyle Tucker, everybody. This is this is our lane. This is a good This is a solid move. Um really for the Rays and other teams out there. It it I think it’s uh going to prove fruitful in 2026. Uh on that note, we hope you all have a wonderful day. Stay safe and we will talk to you later.

Tampa Bay Rays shake things up by locking in Cedric Mullins as their starting center fielder, surprising fans and signaling an aggressive approach for 2026. Can Mullins’ veteran presence and proven AL East experience transform the Rays’ outfield defense and energize their lineup after recent struggles? Ulises and Kevin break down what this $7 million signing means for Tampa Bay, questioning its impact on depth options like Chandler Simpson, Jake Fraley, and Ryan Vilade, and analyzing how the move changes the team’s roster battle heading into the season.
Key topics include Mullins’ defensive range, expected bounce-back at the plate, and his potential as a mentor for rising star Chandler Simpson. The hosts explore the ripple effect on current outfield competitors, possible trade scenarios, and whether new senior advisor Brandon Hyde influenced the Rays’ bold strategy. Is this the missing piece for a playoff push, or just the first of more blockbuster moves in Tampa Bay?
0:00 – Rays Acquire Cedric Mullins
6:00 – Outfield Depth & Trade Speculation
10:00 – Mullins’ Role & Mentorship for Simpson

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