Did Cedric Mullins Really Ask Mets to Un-Retire Mike Piazza’s Number for Him? Exploring Viral Tweet

Right before the trade window closed, the New York Mets made their final move, acquiring center fielder Cedric Mullins from the Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles, in return, grabbed three minor league pitchers—Raimon Gómez, Anthony Nunez, and Chandler Marsh. Well, the Mets had to do it.

Tyrone Taylor has been stellar defensively but not proving much at the plate. And Mullins offers exactly the stability the Mets need right now in the right division race. But strangely enough, it’s not Mullins’ move from Baltimore to Queens that has caught the internet’s attention. It’s something else.

Shortly after the trade broke, a post went viral on X in which a self-proclaimed reporter, Mark Gooden, made a humorous claim. He reported that “Cedric Mullins, who wore 31 for his entire career in Baltimore, has asked the Mets to un-retire Mike Piazza’s 31 for him. The Mets have obliged. They are all in. Mullins will wear 31 with the Mets.”

Now, is that true? Well, not really! Just so you know, Gooden’s account is a parody account, which is well known for posting many satirical and fabricated pieces of information. It’s almost insane how this post earned the attention of 1.9 million people.

But who wore #31 for the Mets in the past? For the unversed, it was the Hall of Fame Mike Piazza, who donned jersey no. 31 for the Mets during his 8-year tenure. He eventually bade adieu to the sport in 2007 with a total of 427 career home runs to his name, out of which 220 came for the Mets.

Piazza’s tenure with the New York Mets began in 1998, and he made a significant and immediate impact, leading the team’s offense and helping them reach the postseason in 1999 and the World Series in 2000. The Mets later retired his #31 jersey in 2016 to honor his legacy. He was also inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame the same year. It’s highly unlikely the Mets would ever consider un-retiring #31.

But hey, Mullins has a lot to offer to the club in his own capacity. The 30-year-old was an All-Star in 2021. He’s currently batting .229 with 15 homers and 49 RBIs with a .738 OPS. In just July, he batted .290 with three homers and an .868 OPS.

Mullins’ trade is the Mets’ second trade with the Orioles across the last 7 days. Before acquiring him, they also added Gregory Soto to their roster for a pair of minor leaguers last week. And, after Soto’s trade, they acquired All-Star Ryan Helsley (St. Louis Cardinals) and right-hander Tyler Rogers (San Francisco Giants) as well.

Now, Mullins’ addition seems the right move for them. However, before Mullins, the Mets had their sights on the other players for their center field.

Cedric Mullins wasn’t the Mets’ first choice for center field

The New York Mets made the most of this trade deadline. It, however, cost them many of their top prospects as well. The club entered the deadline window with a vision to fix their offense, and many expected a deal between them and the Chicago white Sox’ Luis Robert Jr, who currently has a slash line of .213/.300/.353 with an 82 OPS+ and 11 home runs.

Robert Jr dominates the left-handers with a .990 OPS. But the Mets had to drop the idea of acquiring him, as the white Sox reportedly asked for a huge price. And well, the Phillies also had their sights on Robert Jr., but because of the White Sox’s demand, both the Mets and the Phillies found their center fielder elsewhere.

To get Mullins, the Mets had to trade their top prospects. We will know in some time whether that was a good decision or not. But they had to go for it because they were in dire need of fixing their center field. They were ranked 27th in OPS (.602) and 28th in batting average (.214). Can Mullins turn things around for the Mets now? What do you think?