Mariners could finally get the Victor Robles replacement of their dreams

As expected, right field has been a major sore spot (i.e., -0.7 rWAR) for the Seattle Mariners ever since Victor Robles fractured his shoulder on April 6. And with Leody Taveras struggling to justify the shot the M's took on him, it's not too soon to start wondering about Cedric Mullins.

Lest anyone think this is an out-of-left-field idea for how the Mariners can shore up right field, the Baltimore Orioles were reportedly willing to move Mullins even as they were contending last season. Now that they're careening towards a lost 2025 season with a 15-32 record, it only makes sense that speculation about the 2021 All-Star has begun anew.

Jacob Calvin Meyer of the Baltimore Sun has raised the possibility of a Mullins trade, with Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors also getting in on that action. And with the 30-year-old only signed for this year, it's not as if he's assured for a long-term future in Baltimore anyway.

The Mariners would have to stretch their budget for Cedric Mullins, but he'd be worth it

The notion of the Mariners going after Mullins does come with a catch, and it's that the club may not be able to afford the remainder of his $8.73 million salary.

That obviously isn't a lot of money in a vacuum, but Seattle has already absorbed about $3.7 million in additional salary from taking on Taveras (who is 6-for-40 in 12 games as a Mariner) after claiming him from the Texas Rangers. As soon as that happened, the club's outlook for the summer trading season was immediately complicated.

Still, the Mariners are nowhere close to the $241 million luxury tax threshold for 2025, and the front office has a darn good excuse to push the envelope. It's good that the Mariners are in first place in the AL West at 27-20, and it feels even better given how many injuries they have sustained.

Along with starters George Kirby, Logan Gilbert, and Bryce Miller and fellow lineup stalwarts Luke Raley and Ryan Bliss, Robles is among the reinforcements the Mariners stand to get off the IL in the coming days, weeks, and months. After he hit .328 with 30 stolen bases in basically half a season with Seattle in 2024, Robles' return is certainly worth looking forward to.

Yet Mullins is arguably the best outfielder who could be available ahead of MLB's July 31 trade deadline. He averaged 20 home runs and 29 stolen bases per year between 2021 and 2024, and this year he's already up to 10 homers and seven steals with a 129 OPS+. He otherwise remains one of the more dependable center fielders in the league.

Because he's only a rental, the Mariners could conceivably score Mullins from the Orioles without having to sacrifice too much from their loaded farm system. Just as an example, Baseball Trade Values rates this as a fair trade:

• Seattle Mariners get: CF Cedric Mullins
• Baltimore Orioles get: RHP Logan Evans, LHP Brandyn Garcia

Per MLB Pipeline, Evans and Garcia are Seattle's No. 10 and No. 16 prospects, respectively. Neither likely looms large in the Mariners' long-term plans, whereas both could help an Orioles franchise that badly needs pitching.

Of course, the Mariners would be signing up for a positional logjam if they were to trade for Mullins. He, Robles, and Raley can't all play right field, and the Mariners don't exactly have openings elsewhere in their outfield.

And yet, the Mariners' singular priority right now should be getting the roster ready for a proper World Series run. One of those has been in the making for close to half a century by now, and they would certainly have a better chance of turning the dream into reality with Mullins than without him.