Cedric Mullins signing might've made former NY Mets prospect available in trades

No one had an offseason prediction that included Cedric Mullins signing with the Tampa Bay Rays. A disappointing New York Mets trade acquisition last summer, he was going to land somewhere despite the poor showing in the final two months. The center field market is a thin one this offseason with Mullins actually representing the higher end of talent available.

Mullins will have a one-year deal to (for his sake) rebuild his value and re-enter free agency next offseason. As a result of the signing of Mullins, the Rays now have a large number of speedy outfielders with strong defensive reputations. While we didn’t see the very best of Mullins, he no doubt has the capability of rebounding nicely.

But how many center fielders with gifted gloves and speed can the Rays truly afford to have around? Chandler Simpson is a fascinating prospect with immense speed but a light bat. The same applies to last year’s breakout rookie season for Jake Mangum, an ex-Mets prospect who hit .296 and stole 27 bases while playing all over the outfield.

The Rays outfield is getting crowded quickly and former Mets prospect Jake Mangum is a potentially casualty

Mullins is actually the second outfielder the Rays have added to their outfield. Jake Fraley was a waiver claim last month. Regardless of whether he’s in and out or not, the Rays suddenly have an increasingly redundant outfield with Mullins added in there, too.

Capitalizing on Mangum’s breakout year wouldn’t be an unwise decision for the Rays. Because of the lean market of center fielders, he should be able to fetch them something nice. It’s not exactly a surprise to see him perform well at the big leagues. In over 1,100 plate appearances in Triple-A, Mangum has hit .313. What is a surprise is how efficient he has been at stealing bases. He had 43 in 216 games in Triple-A. He beat the pace this year in 118 at the big league level with the 27 he finished with.

Mangum turns 30 in March. A late-bloomer, he’ll be a financially affordable option in center field if the Rays choose to trade him. They can always option him to the minor leagues for added depth but that seems like a strange strategy.

It does appear the Rays will have some maneuvering to do with multiple left-handed hitting outfielders with similar skills. Always a fascinating team that’ll buy and sell at the same time, occasionally spend big yet try to trade away those growing stars before their salaries go too high, this signing should have teams calling up Tampa Bay about which of their outfielders they’re willing to part with.

Interestingly enough, the Mets are a pretty good match for Mangum. As a piece to play alongside Tyrone Taylor and delay the rise of any of their young prospects, it would be a twist for the Mets offseason for Mullins’ signing to give them an opportunity to reunite with a prospect they gave up on prematurely.