CLEARWATER, Fla. — Dylan Moore didn’t need a reminder that this game can humble you.

He got one anyway.

“It’s the first time that we’ve not known where we’re going until February 1st or 2nd,” Moore said about his family. “And even now, it’s not certain.”

That’s the reality of a minor-league deal. The job is the job. The back-home part is the one you feel.

“The uncertainty is getting to us a little bit,” Moore said. “But we have a plan… it’s like a day-to-day.”

The 33-year-old signed with the Phillies this winter on a minor-league contract with up to $3 million in incentives tied to active roster time and plate appearances. The appeal was straightforward — interest from a contender, and a chance to win.

“From the outside looking in, it’s a very successful organization,” Moore said. “Always a winning organization, and I want to be part of that.”

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Moore knows what meaningful baseball feels like, especially when it’s backed by passionate fans. He spent his first seven seasons in Seattle and was part of the 2022 Mariners team that snapped the longest postseason drought in major North American pro sports. That year was an unforgettable experience.

“I probably didn’t realize the weight of it until maybe after that first playoff run had ended,” Moore said. “It was something that hadn’t been done in a while, and you could feel the fanbase there, really leaning into the team, and to help accomplish that was one of the milestones of my career.”

In 2022, he posted a career-high .368 on-base percentage in 255 plate appearances, put up a .755 OPS, and served as a versatile-platoon weapon. Seattle rewarded him with a three-year extension after the season.

Last year is also part of the story — and part of why he’s standing in this camp with his plans still unsettled. In more of a starter role with the M’s, Moore hit .193 in 192 at-bats in 2025, was released and finished the season in the Rangers organization. The security went with it.

Now, the path in Philadelphia looks a little clearer than it did a week ago.

With Johan Rojas facing an 80-game suspension under MLB’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program, pending appeal, the Phillies have a more defined opening on the bench. 

Rojas had been tracking as the fourth outfielder behind Brandon Marsh, Justin Crawford and Adolis García, with Otto Kemp also in the mix as part of a potential left-field platoon.

If Rojas is unavailable to open the season, it creates a lane for someone who can do a little bit of everything.

That’s been Moore’s experience in the bigs.

“I’ve been a utility guy my entire career, basically,” Moore said. “And I take a lot of pride.”

He’s played every defensive position but catcher, won a Gold Glove as a utility player in 2024 and has spent most of his big league innings at second base and left field. 

The Phillies have the ability to rotate Marsh and Kemp in left field based on matchups, and can mix and match at second base with Bryson Stott and Edmundo Sosa. The question for the last bench spot is whether they want another outfielder, another utility type or someone who can function as both. Moore fits that middle.

Brandon Marsh, Jesus Luzardo, Brad Keller and Dylan Moore spoke on their excitement for the Phillies’ annual Spring Training golf outing.

He’s also not shy about what he needs to show. He kept it short and sweet.

“Yeah, hitting better.” Moore said. “More consistent… I’ve had flashes of brilliance, just trying to bring those all together with some consistent at-bats.”

He’s also keeping tabs on how the Phillies operate.

“I take an interest in those things,” Moore said when asked about analytics. “I think there’s a happy medium on how you weigh those things… I think you’re doing yourself a disservice by not trying to use every tool to try to win a ball game.”

The numbers back up what he brings at his best. He’s paired platoon value with solid contact — barrel rates around 17 percent, hard-hit rates in the mid-40s. Even as those have dipped, his discipline has held. In 2024, he ranked in the 99th percentile in chase rate at 17.7 percent and the 94th percentile in walk rate at 12 percent.

In the meantime, though, he’s trying to keep his focus narrow.

“You just gotta go,” Moore said. “It’s kind of just business as usual. You just try not to let the outside noise… affect what you’re trying to do.”

That’s easier said than done when your season and your family’s plans sit in limbo. But Moore didn’t sound bitter about it. More realistic than anything.

The Rojas situation doesn’t hand Moore anything. The Rojas situation doesn’t hand Moore anything. It just opens a door — and he’s still 1-for-12 to begin the spring. He’s spent a career being the guy teams turn to when they need someone who can do everything. Now he’s trying to make it his again.