The New York Yankees rank 25th in MLB (out of 30 teams) with just 30 runs scored. Their offensive performance has been, for the lack of a better word, frustrating. The hitters are slashing .229/.311/.366 so far.
Former WFAN host Mike Francesa is dreaming about a specific player who, according to him, could jumpstart the Yankees offense: Baltimore Orioles Cedric Mullins.
Mullins, the only 30-30 hitter in the majors last year, hurt the Yankees with important hits over the weekend. He is a dynamic force at the top of the Orioles, and while he is yet to hit the ground running (he is slashing .167/.231/.361 with a 71), he already has two homers, a steal, and his customary great defense in center field to speak for himself.
Is Mullins to the Yankees possible?
On Saturday, Francesa tweeted the following: “If I could place a player, within reason, in the Yankee lineup. It would be Mullins in CF, batting leadoff. Perfect fit,” he said. And it really is a good fit: he plays center field and is a superb offensive player, even if he somewhat outperformed his peripherals last year.
In 2021, he slashed .291/.360/.518 with 30 homers, 30 stolen bases, and 91 runs. Yes, his xwOBA (.344) was significantly lower than his actual wOBA (.372), but he was a fine player, and took a step forward mainly by making mechanical adjustments and ditching the idea of being a switch-hitter.
A trade is possible, but extremely unlikely, though. Mullins is a piece to build around, as he has four years of cheap team control remaining, and Baltimore finally has some young studs that could come over to the bigs and start developing: Grayson Rodriguez, DL Hall, and catching prospect Adley Rutschman, not to mention useful players already in their big league roster, such as John Means, Ryan Mountcastle, Anthony Santander, and others.
For the Yankees to get the O’s attention, they would have to offer a huge package of prospects and assets, and so far, the Bombers have shown an unwillingness to discuss Anthony Volpe and Jasson Dominguez.
So, while Mullins is a good fit for the Yankees, he is highly unlikely to be deal to the Bronx.