At this point, there is no use in denying the obvious.
For the first time since 2022, the Baltimore Orioles will be sellers at the Major League Baseball Trade Deadline.
While interim manager Tony Mansolino believes the Orioles can get back in the hunt, their current seven-game losing streak does not provide much promise.
But if you squint hard enough, there is a silver lining.
The Orioles can retool their roster by dealing players at or nearing the end of their contracts, play and evaluate prospects with 2025 wins and losses not as crucial, and perhaps obtain a high draft pick in 2026.
As part of the retool, the Orioles should hold onto franchise cornerstones Gunnar Henderson, Jackson Holliday, Colton Cowser, and Jordan Westburg, while engaging contending teams in deals for several of their helpful pieces.
There is perhaps no better example of this strategy than dealing Cedric Mullins, with his heir apparent, Enrique Bradfield Jr., ready to take over centerfield this year and beyond.
With the 2025 season lost, the Orioles should look to trade Cedric Mullins ahead of the MLB Trade Deadline
From an emotional standpoint, dealing Mullins won’t be easy.
Mullins was part of the “passing of the torch” between the successful Orioles teams of the 2010s and the present teams. He and Orioles icon Adam Jones shared the outfield before Jones ceded centerfield to Mullins after the 2018 season.
While Mullins has provided dazzling defense throughout his tenure in Baltimore, his offense came into its own in 2021, when he posted 30 home runs, 30 stolen bases, and an .878 on-base plus slugging percentage.
And while the Orioles’ offense has struggled greatly in 2025, Mullins has had his best season since 2021, slugging 10 home runs and posting an above-average .802 OPS.
However, Mullins has been notoriously streaky. Before finishing the 2024 season on a good note, he scuffled so intensely that he seemingly lost his starting job to Colton Cowser.
Certainly, there is a school of thought that teams can get the most value for their players if they wait until the final hours of the deadline, when teams become more desperate.
But similarly, a team that deals for Mullins now instead of on July 31 would get two extra months of him patrolling centerfield.
If the Orioles want to evaluate Bradfield and deal Mullins while he’s producing, now is the time.
Several contenders could use a centerfielder, including the Guardians, Phillies, Rangers, and Diamondbacks.
Those teams have all received negative wins above replacement from the position, and Mullins, who has posted a 0.6 WAR thus far, would be an upgrade in center for these teams.
Waiting in the wings to take over center field in Baltimore – much like Mullins did from Jones – is Bradfield, who, in light of Mullins’ contract expiring at the end of the season, was likely to assume the position in 2026 anyway.
On the season, Bradfield has posted an .804 OPS across three levels in the minor leagues, including a stout 1.032 OPS since rejoining Double-A Chesapeake last week.
While Bradfield could perhaps use more seasoning in the minors, he is 23 years old and enjoyed a college career at Vanderbilt.
In other words, he is essentially major league-ready. With 2025 being a lost season, and the Orioles wanting to get a look at future position players, dealing Mullins while he’s hot and calling up Bradfield is one way to make lemonade out of a 2025 season that has so far been all lemons.
