Rays hoping former All-Star Cedric Mullins bounces back in 2026

The Tampa Bay Rays have added an interesting piece to their outfield mix.

According to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, the Rays are in agreement with outfielder Cedric Mullins on a one-year contract. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported that Mullins will receive $7M for the upcoming season.

By signing Mullins, the Rays have continued to revamp their outfield. Kameron Misner and Christopher Morel were designated for assignment, with Misner eventually traded to the Royals. Jake Fraley and Ryan Vilade were brought in as the Rays look for more production from their outfield in 2026.

Cedric Mullins may not be the piece the Tampa Bay Rays need

Mullins is an interesting buy-low addition. He appeared to be on the cusp of stardom during the 2021 season, posting a .291/.360/.518 batting line over 675 plate appearances, hitting 30 homers and 37 doubles while stealing 30 bases. While that season proved to be an outlier, he had been a solid player in Baltimore over the next three seasons. Mullins posted a respectable .244/.311/.407 batting line over 1,626 plate appearances between 2022 and 2024, hitting 49 homers and 71 doubles with 85 steals.

Everything went wrong in 2025. Mullins got off to a hot start before his production cratered. Overall, he posted a .216/.299/.391 batting line in 498 plate appearances between the Baltimore Orioles and New York Mets, hitting 17 homers and 23 doubles with 22 steals. Mullins also had one of his worst defensive seasons based on metrics, as he was considered to have cost a total of five runs in center.

Things may not get better for Mullins in 2026. The Rays are expected to return to Tropicana Field for the upcoming season, a venue where Mullins has struggled. He has a .189/.233/.287 batting line over 131 plate appearances at the Trop with five extra base hits. 

The Rays are likely hoping that Mullins can return to the form he displayed from 2022 through 2024. Based on his track record, they may not get that.