Should Orioles re-sign Cedric Mullins? | MAILBAG

Question: Why would the O’s not re-sign Cedric Mullins?  He is an excellent centerfielder. He is still fast and tracks the ball of the bat as well as anyone in the game. He has done very well hitting left on left. From: dpowers

Answer: I wouldn’t be against re-signing Mullins, but I don’t think the Orioles will. I think they’re likely to trade him at the end of this month if they don’t suddenly go on a winning streak.

While you are correct that Mullins is hitting left-handers well this season (.268), he hasn’t done well against right-handers (.189), and is hitting only .211.

I think the Orioles love his defense, but they’d like to attempt to get more punch out of the center field position, and the guess here is that they’ll attempt to sign a free agent to play center field in 2026. Perhaps they’ll circle back to Mullins, but Mike Elias hasn’t yet re-signed a veteran free agent.

Question: I was wondering what the hypothetically potential cost to the Orioles would be to trade up in the draft, or post-draft acquisition, for Ethan Holliday. Followed by a call to Matt Holliday to join the franchise in an official capacity. You’d get a nostalgia vibe harkening back to the Ripkens, you’d get two very young and very talented infielders, and you’d get a very good hitting coach. All things this franchise could benefit from. Thoughts on this daydream? From: Marshall

Answer: Sorry, Marshall, but your thoughts will remain a daydream. Picks, with the exception of those in the competitive balance round, can not be traded, and Ethan Holliday will be selected long before then.

The soonest a drafted player can be traded is after the World Series, and any team that drafts Ethan Holliday is going to want to see how he develops and not trade him to the Orioles.

As for Matt Holliday coaching for the Orioles, it’s been a frequent suggestion from fans. He was going to be the St. Louis Cardinals’ bench coach in 2023 but backed out before the season began. The feeling here is that Holliday would like the time and freedom to watch both Jackson and Ethan play professional ball, at least for a few years before he considers being a major league coach.

Most weekdays, I’ll be answering at least one Orioles question. If you’d like to submit a question, send it to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com. Questions may be edited for clarity, length and style.