Veteran utility-man Dylan Moore has exercised the opt-out clause in his deal with the Philadelphia Phillies, according to a report from Will Sammon of The Athletic. This gives Philadelphia 48 hours to add him to the 40-man roster, or he will become a free agent and be free to sign with any other club.
Competing for a roster spot on the bench, Moore originally signed a minor league contract with an invitation to major league spring training with the Phillies back on January 30. He was set to make up to $3.25 million with bonuses based on plate appearances and being on the active roster.
Despite his spring training struggles—he's hit .226/.324/.258 with a double and two steals over 37 plate appearances—Moore had a strong chance to break camp with the Phillies. He has logged innings at every position on the diamond except catcher and is a plus defender almost everywhere. Dylan won the American League Gold Glove award as a utility player in 2024 as a member of the Seattle Mariners.
The 33-year-old appeared in 689 games in the big leagues, almost all of which came with Seattle. He’s a right-handed hitter with a lifetime .206/.310/.383 slash line, 63 homers and 118 stolen bases. While his average is nothing to write home about, Moore has decent pop against both sides of the lefty/righty split and walks at better than a 12% clip against lefties, resulting in a .327 career OBP versus southpaws. He has also delivered an OPS+ above the league average more times than below. With the Phillies' coaches and front office making it clear they prefer positional flexibility, and given that they currently have two open spots on their 40-man roster, they could retain Moore as an asset without making a corresponding roster move.
With seemingly one open spot on the bench after a backup catcher, utility infielder Edmundo Sosa and Otto Kemp likely starting the year in a left-field platoon, the Phillies are thin on options to backup rookie center fielder, Justin Crawford. After Johan Rojas was suspended 80 games for violating the league’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program, Moore may be the only viable option who has shown an ability to play center field without concern. Given that and his overall versatility, it would not be surprising to see Philadelphia commit to keeping Moore around for the time being.
We will provide more information once it becomes available.
