The Mariners announced this afternoon that they’ve designated utility man Dylan Moore for assignment. Moore’s spot on both the 40-man and active roster will go to outfielder Victor Robles, who was activated from the 60-day injured list in a corresponding move. Robles was recently dealt a ten-game suspension for an incident where he threw his bat towards the pitcher’s mound during a minor league rehab game. Robles will need to serve that suspension in the majors, but Daniel Kramer of MLB.com writes that Robles is expected to be in tonight’s lineup while he appeals the suspension.
Moore, 33, was the longest-tenured player on the Mariners roster prior to his DFA. The utility man debuted with the club back in 2019 and appeared in 113 games before breaking out in a big way during the shortened 2020 season. Moore appeared in 38 games for Seattle that year, and slashed an excellent .255/.358/.496 (140 wRC+) with eight homers and 12 steals in 159 trips to the plate. That was enough to make him the second best hitter on the roster, behind only catcher Austin Nola.
He dropped back below average in 2021, but starting in 2022 enjoyed a three-year stretch of above-average offense (113 wRC+) that also saw him swipe 60 bases and win a Gold Glove award. Even in his leaner offensive seasons of 2019 and ’21, Moore’s impressive versatility was enough to make him a valuable piece of the Mariners roster. He’s appeared at every position on the diamond except for catcher throughout his time in the majors, included a one-inning cameo on the mound during his rookie season.
That versatility combines with his speed (116 steals in 156 career attempts) to make Moore a valuable role player every season. Another notable trait of Moore’s that has made him valuable to the Mariners over the years is his knack for hitting well against southpaws. While he’s a career 92 wRC+ hitter against right-handed pitching, that jumps up to 110 when looking at his work in 675 plate appearances against lefties. His work against opposite-handed pitching has been even more impressive in recent years, as he slashed .233/.356/.425 (129 wRC+) against lefties during his peak seasons from 2022 to ’24.
All of that came apart in 2025, unfortunately. This year has been the worst of Moore’s career by a wide margin. He’s hit just .193/.263/.359 (78 wRC+) in 88 games while striking out at a career-high 35.7% clip. His typically strong defense all over the diamond hasn’t rated well by the metrics this year. Most concerning is his vanishing production against left-handed pitching; while his 91 wRC+ against righties this year is right in line with his career norms, Moore has hit just .149/.257/.309 (66 wRC+) with a 40.4% strikeout rate in 109 plate appearances against lefties this year.
That production simply wasn’t tenable for even a bench role, and now the Mariners have opted to part ways with the veteran just a few months before he otherwise would have reached free agency. Seattle will have one week to attempt to pass Moore through waivers, where he can be claimed by any MLB club willing to give him a spot on their roster and pay the remainder of his 2025 salary. Should he clear waivers unclaimed, the club could try to outright him to the minor leagues but he has more than enough service time to reject that outright assignment in favor of free agency.
Replacing on Moore on the roster is Robles, who suffered a dislocated shoulder back in April and has been on the injured list ever since. A former top prospect who spent parts of eight seasons with the Nationals, Robles broke out with the Mariners at the age of 27 last year as he slashed .328/.393/.467 with 30 steals in just 77 games. That elite production was enough to earn Robles a two-year extension with the club, but year one of that deal hasn’t gone especially well between his lengthy stay on the IL and the aforementioned suspension he incurred during his rehab assignment. With Randy Arozarena and Julio Rodriguez entrenched in left and center field respectively, Robles figures to share time with Dominic Canzone and Luke Raley in left going forward.
This was long overdue, sadly. Big fan of Moore’s defensive contributions but guy was just a black hole at the plate for a while now.
Moore is the definition of a streaky hitter and this year he hasn’t had any good streaks
His April streak was fantastic. People were calling to extend him.
I know. he was AL Player of the week in April. I thought that he was going to be the everyday 2nd basemen for the year at that point.
Finally. It’s about time Moore got the boot.
I think he deserves a little better than “finally.” Yes, it was time to move on, but he provided the org low-cost versatility, defensive insurance, and pinch running for years. He’s a Mariner through and through.
I agree too that letting go of Moore was the right move, but isn’t “finally” a little harsh? He still had great defense.
Kind of surprised they got rid of Moore as he was a heavily relied upon utility player for years there (maybe he was a “Scott Servais guy” and not a “Dan Wilson guy”)
I assume Robles is appealing his suspension and maybe the Mariners are hoping for a little fireworks as the A’s recalled Joey Estes as well
He’s hitting .139 since May 1st and is something like 3 for his last 65 with some misplays defensively. It’s a tough one because of his competitiveness, hustle, ability to play multiple positions well, and spark off the bench, but he’s unfortunately become a black hole. I love D-Mo, though, and wish him the best going forward. Just hope he stays out of the division.
This was expected and probably the right call, but I’ll always have fond memories of D-Mo and respect the way he played the game. Good luck to him going forward!
Over 6 years of cheap utility work out of a guy signed to a low-cost MLB deal with no MLB experience. Not half bad work in the end by Dipoto.
He might do well with a new team, and change of scenery might just do him wonders.
A perfect replacement for Garrett Hampson.
He might be the next Chicago white sock to replace Josh Rojas
3 hits in 3 months- over due. IF he had tried to bunt for a hit over the last 3 months- his # would look better
Thanks for everything D-Mo!
Dang. A really good guy and I loved his role with the Mariners. Such an easy player to root for. It was awesome when he won a Gold Glove last year and I was so excited when he started the season so hot at the plate and was the AL Player of the week. 3 for your last 65 is so rough and when your struggles at the plate start to effect your defense, that is even rougher. I thought that the Mariners showed some class with sticking with him as long as they did. It will be interesting to see if anyone picks him up, He is so dang versatile. If not, I hope he goes to Tacoma sorts out his swing and some how comes back up and helps us out at the most crucial time of the year, if not, Thank you, Dylan Moore.
Unfortunately, given his service time, I think he can reject an outright to Tacoma and still collect his entire owed salary, no?
True
Mets should sign him and option Mauricio. Mauricio is barely playing and needs to get as many opportunities as possible.
Moore is fine as a IF/OF last player on the bench.
Not right now. I think a big reason for his struggles since the end of April is the inconsistent playing time causing every PA to be consequential for him. It’s really hard to roster an end of bench guy who has hit .139 since May 1st (and 3 for his last 65, I believe), who is starting to let those struggles seep into his defense. He needs enough run to string some hits together and flip the narrative.
I want to see him with the Fish.
edit: actually 3 for 67 (.044)
I agree, he’s better off on a team that can afford to play him regularly. I don’t know if he’ll actually get a MLB deal, I think a minor-league deal is more likely, but he should go somewhere that has a clearer path to regular, or semi-regular playing time.
When I saw that Moore was DFA’d, I thought maybe Rivas was called up. I understand they needed a spot for Robles, but Robles and Moore do not serve the same function on a team.
Rivas will almost certainly get called up in September. They need a backup at short. Young likely has that role for now, which is surprising, because he is playing regularly.
They need a backup at 3rd as well. Rivas is the right guy for both, unless they really want to try Mastrobuoni again (hope not; I think he’s hitting.100 for Tacoma). I guess they’ll hope that if either JP or Suarez gets hurt, they’ll scotch tape their way through that one game before bringing Rivas up for the next one, at least until September 1.
Rivas hasn’t played any third since 2023. I would imagine Solano or Polanco are the backups at third.
I’ll admit I didn’t see this happening before 1 September and I thought it was more likely in late September because they lack depth–and they wouldn’t have needed Moore much after Robles was activated (which has proven more true than expected).
But as long as everyone’s healthy, everything should be fine. Looking forward to seeing Rivas return.
It is a scotch tape-job for now.
He’s made about $10.5 million over his career (6 years), so, of he’s been conservative in his spending, he’s set his family up for life and then some. Worked so hard to play a kid’s game at whatever position he he was asked. He never scared anyone at the plate, but if he could translate that work ethic into coaching, he’d be a great part of a staff if his playing days are done. Good luck, DMo.
It should be interesting if they use the pitcher that the A’s called up that hit him.
Don’t want anyone to lose there job but when your not producing you need to go. Thank you for what you’ve done but we need to make the playoffs.
Well, I guess the mariner fans won’t see him around anymoore.
He’ll get picked up soon by a team hoping a change of scenery gets him going again. It happens often. Didn’t realize until the Giants played Milwaukee last night but Vaughn is an example. He struggled with the White Sox earlier this year and the change to the Brewers has worked so far. I’m sure going from Sox to a really good Brewers team helped also. Brewers defense is unbelievable too.
Rt field not left field