The Free Agency Signing the Rays Might Already Regret

Apr 11, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays center fielder Cedric Mullins (31) greets third baseman Junior Caminero (13) after scoring a run against the New York Yankees in the second inning at Tropicana Field. Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The Free Agency Signing the Rays Might Already Regret

Originally posted on Tampa Bay Rays on SI
By Kenneth Teape | Last updated Apr 28, 2026 7:00 PM ET

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The Tampa Bay Rays aren’t a franchise that is going to spend a ton of money in free agency, so when they do go after a veteran, it will be a calculated risk.

Unlike their peers in the American League East, who won’t miss a beat in terms of spending should they have a free agent not meet expectations, the Rays cannot afford such misses. With a tight budget, they need to make every dollar count.

That is why Tampa Bay is almost certainly regretting the decision they made in free agency to sign outfielder Cedric Mullins. The two sides agreed to a one-year, $7 million contract, which includes a $10 million mutual option for 2027.

In the grand scheme of things, that isn’t a massive amount of money. But when that represents 18.4% of the total amount of money spent by the team this winter and the fourth-highest-paid player on the roster in 2026, expectations are higher.

Cedric Mullins has disappointed for Rays

Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The Rays brought Mullins in expecting him to be a major upgrade in center field and to help lengthen a lineup that lost All-Star second baseman Brandon Lowe in a trade. And through the first 28 games of the season, he has fallen woefully short.

On the active roster, there isn’t a positional player making less of a positive impact on the team than Mullins. He is the only player with a negative bWAR, at -0.4; the only other position player to be negative is Carson Williams, who was sent back down to Triple-A Durham when Taylor Walls was activated off the injured list.

Through 97 plate appearances, the veteran outfielder has produced a measly .138/.200/.253 slash line. His OPS+ of 26 and Rbat+ of 23 are both the lowest on the active roster, with only Williams being worse.

There has been some bad luck for Mullins, with a batting average on balls in play of .152 being unsustainably low. However, his average exit velocity of 84.8 mph and hard-hit rate of 32.9% are both below his career norms.

Rays need more from Cedric Mullins

Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

That has led to Mullins being arguably the least impactful hitter in the MLB this year. His -9 Batting Run Value is in the first percentile. The only thing he has been doing well above league average is limiting his whiffs at 19.9%, which is in the 76th percentile.

Known throughout most of his career as an excellent defender, his impact is waning with the glove, too. His -1 Fielding Run Value is in the 24th percentile. He has 0 Defensive Runs Saved, but that is a huge improvement over the -14 he recorded in 2025.

His struggles haven’t hurt the team, with Tampa Bay owning a 17-11 record. However, it will be interesting to see how long he retains a regular spot in the lineup, given how poorly he has started the season.

This article first appeared on Tampa Bay Rays on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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