Baltimore Orioles Officially Looking For Center Field Upgrades

According to a new report, it seems like the Baltimore Orioles could actually be looking at options in the center field around the trade deadline.

May 27, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles outfielder Cedric Mullins (31) greeted after scoring in the fourth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Oriole Park at Camden Yards / Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports

The Baltimore Orioles are dealing with tons of injuries to their starting pitching rotation after Kyle Bradish was just placed on the injured list with a sprain in his UCL that sidelined him to start the year.

There is major concern that this could be season-ending, which would bring the Orioles' total number of starters on the shelf up to three.

It's too early to be certain, and everyone is hoping some time off for Bradish allows his elbow to heal like it did before, but these types of issues are never something to play around with and this will be something to monitor throughout the year.

Because of that, it's almost a given Baltimore will be targeting starting pitching ahead of the deadline as this team has a real chance to win a World Series if they have a good enough rotation.

With superstar prospect Samuel Basallo seemingly being on the table in trade talks, that would allow the Orioles to land virtually anyone they want.

However, it seems like there could be another position they are targeting as well.

"The Baltimore Orioles are on the lookout for a center fielder while All-Star Cedric Mullins' struggles continue," Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY reports.

That is interesting.

The veteran has emerged as a leader in the clubhouse for this young team, and coming off his All-Star selection in 2021, it seemed like he would be a part of the franchise going forward.

Unfortunately, his play has put that in jeopardy.

Cedric Mullins is slashing .189/.240/.323 with six homers, 13 extra-base hits, and 22 RBI through 65 games with a bWAR of just 0.3 compared to his past figures of 2.8 or above since he was an All-Star.

Whether the Orioles would look to trade the veteran or not will be seen.

It's much more likely that general manager Mike Elias would just bring another option in who could be cycled into the outfield alongside Anthony Santander, Austin Hays, Colton Cowser, and Mullins, but that would also make things too crowded in that group.

Somebody would likely have to be moved.

This will be something to monitor ahead of July 30 as Baltimore is looking for ways to make sure they can compete for a World Series championship this year.