TEREN'S TAKE: Ryan Bliss Should be Seattle Mariners Starting Second Baseman
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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.
But that's not enough to justify keeping him as an everyday starter over Bliss at this point.
Bliss is hitting .308 (4-for-13) with two RBIs, one steal and three runs so far in spring training.
Ryan Bliss could be incredibly useful if he can maintain this stroke pic.twitter.com/oleO9OaVC8
— Trident True (@TridentTruee) February 23, 2025
Moore's ability to be inserted into a lineup and be moved almost anywhere else does help for necessary in-game substitutions. But his offense is inconsistent at best, and for a team that needs offensive production, that's not enough.
Bliss stole five bases in eight attempts last year in 33 games. That's a 162-game pace of 25 steals for Bliss compared to 38 for Moore. The Gold Glover has the advantage. But with fellow speedsters Julio Rodriguez and Victor Robles on the roster, Moore's advantage has less of an impact, and Bliss still provides value.
If Bliss turns out to not be the answer, the Mariners can always turn back to Moore. And there has to be a grain of salt taken with any spring training numbers.
But there has to be a middle ground.
Bliss deserves a shot. And Seattle shouldn't be hesitant to see what he can do as a starter.
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