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Orioles pitcher Anthony Nunez dominating after Mets traded him away for Cedric Mullins
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- Orioles pitcher Anthony Nunez dominating after Mets traded him away for Cedric Mullins
Nunez makes Orioles roster
Those 22 hits and a .565 OPS from Cedric Mullins came at quite the cost.
Righty pitcher Anthony Nunez , sent from the Mets to the Orioles in the ill-fated Mullins trade last summer, is thriving in his first stint in the majors, posting 1.35 ERA spanning 13 ⅓ innings across 12 games.
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He’s averaging 10.8 strikeouts per nine innings.
Anthony Nunez during an April 2026 outing. Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images
The Mets acquired Mullins to fill their center-field void last summer and he did not provide much help, slashing .182/.284/.565 across 42 games and 143 plate appearances while the team missed the playoffs.
The veteran posted a .738 OPS with 15 homers and 49 RBIs for the Orioles before the trade, while contributing just two homers and 10 RBIs with the Mets.
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Those 42 games cost the Mets a trio of lesser-known prospects in Nunez, Chandler Marsh and Raimon Gomez.
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Nunez, 24, was ranked the highest among the group and emerged as a reliever after previously serving as a position player.
He posted a 2.86 ERA across 49 appearances spanning all three levels, striking out 83 batters in 56 2/3 innings.
Nunez told reporters he expected to open the year in the minors after being optioned to minors camp early in spring training, but an injury opened the door for Nunez .
He since pitched like he doesn’t want to spend any time in Triple-A.
While 12 major-league games is obviously a small sample size, he’s become a trusted member of the Orioles bullpen, routinely pitching in the seventh and eighth innings.
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He notched his first save on April 22 against the Royals by striking out a pair to seal an 8-6 win.
Cedric Mullins struggled with the Mets. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
The Mets could use a reliever like Nunez in their bullpen right now due to a lack of quality options, especially with Devin Williams struggling and Luke Weaver battling inconsistency at times.
“It’s a dream come true,” Nunez said after making his big-league debut, per MLB.com . “I’m excited to be able to showcase that to the world.”
He added: “It’s been a ridiculous journey. Everything that’s happened in my career has led to this point. There’s been a lot of sacrifices and a lot of hardships, and it’s just a lot of gratitude that I have in my heart.”
