The Seattle Mariners waited months into the offseason to find players for 2025 to man the open spots in their infield. The Mariners signed Donovan Solano to platoon at first base and Jorge Polanco to play third. That left second base to be solved by in-house candidates.

Various reports and comments from Mariners executives have indicated that Dylan Moore would be penciled in as the starter when spring training began. Ryan Bliss, Leo Rivas and Cole Young were also expected to factor into the competition.

But almost two weeks into spring training games, one thing has become clear: Bliss should be Seattle's starting second baseman on opening day against the Athletics on March 27.

Moore, who won a Gold Glove as a utility player this offseason, has not stepped up the way the Mariners need him to offensively. Entering Wednesday, Moore has gone 0-for-14 in spring training with a .067 on-base percentage.

Those numbers obviously aren't strong, but Moore has a history of being a better defensive player than offensive one.

With the exception of the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season, Moore hasn't hit better than .224 in five-of-six major league seasons. In four of those years, he's hit below .210.

The value of having Moore on the roster lies in his versatility on defense and his speed on the base paths. Moore's stolen 21 or more bases in three seasons. He stole a career and team-high 32 last year.