Tampa Bay Rays Sign Former All-Star OF from Division Rival

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00:00Tampa Bay Rays signed former All-Star outfielder from division rival.

00:05In the ever-resourceful way Tampa Bay operates, the Rays are once again banking on a low-risk, high-upside play,

00:12this time by signing a player once viewed as one of the American League's most electric centerfielders.

00:17Former All-Star Cedric Mullins, now 31 and searching for the spark that once made him a star,

00:23has reportedly agreed to a one-year deal with the Rays, per reports.

00:26For Mullins, the contract represents more than just a new uniform, it's a lifeline.

00:32His 2025 season was, in a word, brutal.

00:36Mullins began the year with Baltimore, where his offensive numbers were a 2-29 average,

00:41a 3-0-5 on-base percentage, and a 4-33 slugging percentage, falling short of expectations.

00:48But it was after a mid-season trade to the Mets that things really unraveled.

00:52His New York stint was marked by a glaring slump, a 1-82 batting average, and a rare statistical oddity.

00:59His slugging percentage dipped below his on-base percentage.

01:02Numbers like that raise eyebrows and red flags.

01:05Still, this is not just a reclamation project.

01:08This is a bet on memory and on the version of Cedric Mullins that captivated baseball in 2021.

01:14That season, he was electric.

01:16A lone standout on a 110-loss Orioles club, Mullins powered through with a 2-91, 3-60, and 5-18 slash line,

01:25clubbed 30 homers, stole bases with abandon, and finished the year with a sparkling 6.2 B war.

01:32He wasn't just good.

01:33He was one of the league's best, earning an all-star nod and a ninth-place finish in MVP voting.

01:38That version of Mullins made pitchers uncomfortable and fans hopeful.

01:42The Rays, always playing chess while others play checkers, seem to believe there's still a trace of that player left.

01:49Their front office has a history of extracting value from players others have written off.

01:55If Mullins' glove still plays, and his bat can regain even a fraction of its former bite,

02:00this could be another quiet steal in the Rays' playbook.

02:04Mullins will get a chance to face his former team in Baltimore on May 18th.

02:07By then, we'll know whether Tampa Bay has unearthed another hidden gem or taken a swing that didn't quite connect.

02:14Either way, it's a storyline worth watching.