Seattle Mariners: Battle for the final three roster spots
Position Players
After this week’s trade with Cincinnati, there are 12 obvious locks among the position payers:
Highly likely
Dylan Moore was really good in 2020 but equally bad last season, batting .180 with a .610 OBP. So why is he likely to make the team? First, he’s the super-utility player Seattle Mariners Manager Scott Servais loves on his roster. There are a few other reasons why Moore has an advantage to make the team over his competition.
He led the team in stolen bases the last two seasons. Crawford, Moore, and Donovan Walton are the only players on the 40-man roster that play shortstop, and Walton hasn’t done much to earn a Major League job.
Although he may be the favorite because of his versatility, Moore isn’t a slam dunk.
And the rest
In addition to Walton, Taylor Trammell, Kevin Padlo, and phenom Julio Rodriguez have a shot at unseating Moore. Non-roster invitee, utility man Sam Haggerty should probably be on that list as well.
Rodriguez is the Seattle Mariners’ next big thing. In the first spring game, Friday, J-Rod hit one that hasn’t landed yet. Unless he has an unbelievable spring, the M’s would be wise to get him some Triple-A seasoning.
Trammell and Padlo are running out of Major League chan; they could be in desperation mode. Because he’s not on the roster, don’t count out Haggerty. He’s just as versatile of a defensive player as Moore is and can switch hit.