The Bird Bath isn’t for me. Now let me tell you why I love the Bird Bath.
Admittedly, I’m past the point in my life where I want to get drenched at a baseball game. I know the days will get hotter and getting cooled off will seem pleasant, I just don’t want to wear wet clothes or have to bring a change of clothes to a game. It’s not for me.
But neither is Taylor Swift. And despite me being known as the single biggest tastemaker on the planet, apparently a handful of people went to her concerts in Philadelphia this weekend. I’m as surprised as you.
Point being, I like the idea of the Bird Bath. It’s for someone. It’s for a lot of people, apparently. Young people seem to love it. I can certainly understand that. It’s a fun concept. It feels connected to the team. It makes an awful lot of sense. I think it was a really good marketing idea from the Orioles and is going a long way toward trying to get more (and perhaps new) people in the ballpark.
It doesn’t hurt that the first night of the Bird Bath just so happened to coincide with one of the most memorable nights in the modern history of the stadium. And nothing drives people to a stadium quite like excitement and winning.
Cedric Mullins’ place in the midst of the Orioles’ rebuild (have we come up with another name for it? The Elias Era?) has been difficult to fully nail down. He’s under team control for another two seasons past this year … and is slated to be 30 by the time he’d be a free agent. He’s a hell of a baseball player … but it’s hard to imagine he’ll ever replicate the 30-home-run total he posted in 2021. His range is spectacular … his arm is, well, not that.
With Colton Cowser behind him, it has been fair to wonder exactly what Mullins’ future would be. Would he remain in center field? Would he be moved to a corner outfield spot? Would he perhaps be trade fodder for the Orioles to acquire more pitching or a bigger bat given the uniqueness of his situation? It was one of the more intriguing storylines surrounding the team coming into the season and now it feels like we have our answer.
I’ve argued before that there’s nothing that would electrify the Orioles’ fanbase more than the team announcing a mega-extension for budding superstar catcher Adley Rutschman. I have suggested it more significant than signing an outside free agent or a possible trade acquisition. That’s been quite genuine. But I’m starting to think that perhaps the team should think about addressing Mullins first.
As I declared earlier, Mullins’ situation isn’t perfect. But what we saw on Friday night felt like the embrace of a city that wasn’t just appreciating a spectacular single game effort (his diving catch shouldn’t be forgotten simply because he dramatically hit for the cycle) but also the totality of the role Mullins has played in this franchise’s turnaround.
He’s the team leader in fWAR currently. He led the team in the category in 2021 and finished second only to Rutschman last season. While his .455 average with runners in scoring position is an impossible pace to continue, he hit .284 in those situations a season ago. Adding in the extra benefit of the larger bases and fewer disengagements has bolstered his value on the base paths, and he is on pace to set a new career high for stolen bases. Even if his speed fades slightly in the next few years, the rules changes should still allow him to at least be a serious threat on the bases.
Given his age and contract situation, it would make sense that Mullins and his camp would be more interested in “playing ball” in extension talks than Rutschman, who would presumably want historic money to delay a shot at free agency. Mullins and the Orioles should be capable of finding a way to make a deal work. Mullins might not be an Adam Jones-type vocal leader, but his presence has been significant, he’s shown a commitment to the community and he’s given Orioles fans thrills that make them want to come watch him play.
The flip side argument is that the Orioles, who declared themselves “The Next Tampa” must constantly be thinking about how to maximize value for every asset. Given the uniqueness of Mullins’ situation they just might simply be better off trying to trade him this year to get peak value, turn center field over to Cowser and acquire an asset that could help now and perhaps another that can help later.
It would be terribly painful. As difficult as it was to see the team ship off Trey Mancini last season, the combination of his pending free agency and the Orioles’ distance from winning a World Series made it palatable. Mullins might not be the figure Mancini was in Baltimore, but he’s at least breathing similar air. With as much team control as the Orioles have with Mullins and a core that seems slightly closer to championship contention, it feels wrong.
Again, it feels like things should be going the other way. As disappointing as it was that the Orioles never signed Manny Machado (the superior player), we all understand the significance of the club signing Jones in 2012 when things were beginning to turn. Rutschman might be the bigger long-term prize right now, but a Mullins deal could still give the fan base (and team) a boost while continuing to work on landing the biggest fish.
Photo Credit: Kenya Allen/PressBox