Cedric Mullins has become a fixture in Baltimore, but for how much longer?

The ovation at the home opener caught him by surprise.

Cedric Mullins lined up behind the center-field wall at Camden Yards, waiting to be introduced for his ceremonial jog down the orange carpet, trying to lock in for the game. When his name was called — “batting seventh, in his eighth season with the Orioles” — he almost didn’t realize the crowd’s exuberant reaction was for him.

“I definitely felt the love from Baltimore,” Mullins said.

For his status as the longest-tenured Oriole. For his perseverance through early struggles and Crohn’s disease. For his role in restoring the franchise to prominence. And for the memories he has created in maintaining the Orioles’ rich tradition of center fielders.

Many in the sellout crowd also were savvy enough to recognize that the 2025 season quite possibly will be the last for Mullins in Baltimore, the final chapter for a speedy 13th-round pick who developed into an All-Star, Silver Slugger and highlight-reel center fielder.

Mullins, 30, is eligible for free agency at the end of the season. His agent, Robin Cope, says the Orioles have not initiated talks about an extension, adding, “I wish they would. He wishes they would.” Mullins, though, seems destined to meet the same fate as Austin Hays and Anthony Santander, two other longtime Orioles outfielders who were pushed out within the last year by younger talent.

The Orioles, unless they fall out of contention, would appear unlikely to treat Mullins the way they did Hays, whom they traded to the Philadelphia Phillies at last year’s deadline in a deal that brought them reliever Seranthony Domínguez. More likely, they will take the same approach with Mullins that they did with Santander, making him a qualifying offer and then losing him to free agency.

Santander’s heavily deferred five-year, $92.5 million contract with the Toronto Blue Jays netted the Orioles the 31st pick in the draft, on top of the 30th choice they received as compensation for right-hander Corbin Burnes and their predetermined first-round selection at No. 19. Such picks are gold for the Orioles, who draft exceedingly well and, even under new ownership, will take their payroll only so far while playing in the game’s fifth-smallest television market.

Orioles general manager Mike Elias declined to comment on what the future for Mullins might bring. Most of the extension talk with the team revolves around younger players. And one look at the club’s organizational depth chart reveals why Mullins might be expendable.

Colton Cowser, the fifth pick in 2021, looms as a potential replacement in center field. Enrique Bradfield, the 17th pick in 2023 and No. 82 prospect in the game, according to The Athletic’s Keith Law, might be ready for center by 2026. Mullins, in theory, could move to a corner-outfield spot, particularly if Tyler O’Neill opts out after one season. But the Orioles still might prefer other options.

The churn in Baltimore is not unlike that in Tampa Bay or Cleveland, two of the game’s more successful smaller-market clubs. And though Mullins, Hays and Santander joined the organization under previous general manager Dan Duquette, Hays does not fault Elias for replacing them with players he drafted.

“To have three guys who basically played all the way up through the minor leagues together, get to the big leagues, play out almost six years and then all (sign long-term), it’s just so rare,” Hays said. “I don’t think it really had anything to do with us not being part of the new regime or being left over from the Dan Duquette days.

“I think that’s just how the game goes.”

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Mullins, describing his current position as “bittersweet,” says he also understands the business side of the game but looks at it more from a player’s perspective.

“Guys are always going to do what’s best for them and their families,” Mullins said. “At the end of the day, you can’t argue with that.”

In the Orioles’ 72-year history, Mullins ranks sixth in games played in center field, trailing Paul Blair, Adam Jones, Al Bumbry, Brady Anderson and Mike Devereaux. To pass Devereaux, Mullins needs to play in only 56 more games. But if his tenure with the Orioles is in its final months, he will get no higher.

Mullins likely would be the top center fielder in the 2025-26 free-agent class, even though he is relatively old for the position and coming off a season in which his defensive metrics declined. Through 16 games, he has been the Orioles’ top hitter, batting .300 with four homers and a 1.055 OPS.

Brandon Hyde, the Orioles’ manager since 2019, raves about Mullins’ growth, both offensively and defensively. Mullins made his debut the year before Hyde arrived but did not stick in the majors for good until the shortened 2020 campaign.

That season, he played with symptoms of Crohn’s disease, an inflammatory bowel condition that causes inflammation in the digestive tract. After the season ended, he underwent surgery to remove 10 to 15 centimeters from his intestine, and a postsurgical infection contributed to his losing 20 pounds.

Doctors told Mullins he could resume a normal diet, but to this day, he avoids foods that might upset his stomach. He also takes Stelara, a medication used to treat Crohn’s.

And he is a different player from how he was before contracting his disease. During those early trying days, Mullins made a decision that changed his career, dropping switch hitting to bat left-handed only.

Mullins responded with his spectacular 2021 season — 37 doubles, 30 homers, 30 stolen bases and an .878 OPS. He has not matched those numbers since, but last season recovered from a .629 OPS before the All-Star break to produce an .831 OPS afterward.

In spring training, he told Hyde he wanted to play as much as possible to strengthen his legs for the season. On days he didn’t run much in games, he would run extra on his own. He said the heavier workload put him in a better place physically, and the one-day-at-a-time approach he adopted coming out of his slump last season put him in a better place mentally.

His teammates are aware his path was not the easiest. Shortstop Gunnar Henderson, one of the Orioles’ young stars, said, “He has been through the thick and thin. You just see how mentally strong he was to get through those rough years.” Others with the Orioles agree, describing Mullins as a model player.

“You can’t just have a team full of guys with one, two or three years in the league. You’ve got to have that veteran stability,” said first baseman/outfielder Ryan O’Hearn, 31.

“He was with the O’s when they were one of the worst teams in the league and one of the best teams in the league. That experience is invaluable. A lot of guys lean on him when things are going bad.”

Added first-base coach Anthony Sanders: “He’s not a real vocal guy in the clubhouse. But all those young guys who come up, all these new outfielders we have, they’ve seen Ced play, they get to work with him in spring training. They see what a legit, major-league Gold Glove-type outfielder looks like. He just sets a tone in every drill we do. He’s always first in line.”

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Mullins was a Gold Glove finalist in 2022. Team USA thought highly enough of him to include him on its World Baseball Classic roster in 2023. Those who know him best swear by his defense in center and are skeptical of metrics that suggest he isn’t what he once was.

“When you watch him play, it’s like, how?” Hays said.

“Some of the catches he has made, my jaw is literally on the floor,” Henderson added.

“I’m surprised he hasn’t won a Gold Glove, at least a couple already,” Sanders said.

Clubs in free agency, though, often look for a reason not to sign a player, or offer him less money. Defense could end up the reason with Mullins, at least based on his diminished rankings from 2023 to ’24 in Defensive Runs Saved (fifth to 28th among center fielders) and Outs Above Average (18th to 21st).

Mullins did not fare as well on balls hit to shallow center last season, though his average depth at Camden Yards was almost the same. Sanders said “the only negative people probably would say is his arm strength,” but added that Mullins compensates by charging balls hard and throwing accurately. Mullins’ sprint speed this season is up. His defensive sample thus far is too small to be meaningful.

“I pay attention to just playing the game clean, making the routine plays. Those are how the spectacular ones come about,” Mullins said. “For me to try to manipulate how I play the game for the stat boost, that can really mess with those things.”

Mullins added that no one has ever explained defensive metrics to him, or told him he needs to improve. His age works against him. Most top defensive center fielders are in their early to mid-20s. But if the Orioles have not asked him to adjust, he evidently is doing something right.

Offensively, Mullins’ OPS+, even in his lesser seasons, was above average. This season, he is again putting his dynamic skills on full display. Henderson replaced him as the Orioles’ primary leadoff man toward the end of 2023. But Mullins, at 5 feet 8, 175 pounds, not only can bunt for a hit and steal bases, but also generate enough power to hit in the middle of the order. Hyde has batted him in every spot but second and eighth thus far, using him in the five hole more than any other.

If this is Mullins’ last season in Baltimore, he isn’t dwelling on it. All he desires is for it to include a deep run into the postseason. In his first two seasons, the Orioles lost 115 and 108 games. In his last two, they made the playoffs but went a combined 0-5.

“I see a lot of potential with this group,” Mullins said. “I want to be a part of it.”

The ovation he received before the home opener wasn’t the typical cursory acknowledgement many players receive. Mullins’ importance to the fans, O’Hearn said, is obvious. Baltimoreans, after witnessing his work ethic, no-nonsense diligence and quiet fortitude, consider him one of their own.

“I feel like I can really relate to the city in terms of how I go about my business and how they go about theirs,” Mullins said. “Everything is earned. Everything has been worked hard for. I don’t take any day for granted.”

The only question is how many days in Baltimore he has left.

(Top photo: G Fiume / Getty Images)

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