Mariners reveal answer to team's second base question and fans will be happy

In the matter of a couple of weeks, Seattle's infield has gone from rife with holes to having a surplus of optionality. The team has signed Donovan Solano and brought back Jorge Polanco to fill in the gaps, which actually gives them an excess of defensive flexibility. The place where this is the most apparent is second base, and fans are wondering who will get the starting job.

In a recent conversation with Seattle Sports 710, Justin Hollander provided some clarity on how they'd resolve the potential logjam.

“I think first crack at the everyday second base job will be Dylan Moore. Ryan Bliss will mix in, Leo Rivas will mix in. We’ll see some Cole Young in spring training this year at both second and short.”

This is pretty encouraging news. Dylan Moore is very much a "more than meets the eye" type of player, but had the best season of his career in 2024 as he took advantage of more playing time following injuries to J.P. Crawford and Jorge Polanco. When elevated to a full-time player, he managed to accumulate 2.2 rWAR and won a Utility Gold Glove. He had a cumulative OPS of just .687, but in 244 plate appearances outside of T-Mobile Park he posted an .840 OPS, another testament to the pitcher-friendly environment of Seattle.

As for Ryan Bliss and Leo Rivas, both spent the vast majority of their time in Triple-A Tacoma, but posted respective OPS numbers of .833 and .865 with the Rainiers, indicating their ability to perform against higher levels of competition. Cole Young introduces another intriguing variable into the mix. Despite a slight decrease in his prospect stock relative to 2024, he's still receiving plenty of credit from scouts.

In a worst-case scenario, the modular nature of the roster would allow manager Dan Wilson to play around with whatever setup gives the team the best chance of winning. In addition to all of the aforementioned infielders, Seattle still has access to Austin Shenton and Miles Mastruobuoni, giving them additional depth to work with. Thus, it wouldn't be surprising to see several players splitting significant time (in addition to a lot of platooning with this setup).

The front office has remained steadfast in their belief that the roster is sufficient as is. With their division rivals doing less than usual to set themselves apart and projections giving them a fair chance at returning to October, it seems like the Mariners might actually have been right all along. Either way, spring training is right around the corner, so fans won't have to wait long to see if the organization truly did enough this offseason to compete in 2025.