Dylan Moore in agreement with Phillies on major league contract, expected to make Opening Day roster

Drew Smith
March 21, 2026
Phillies
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The Phillies signed Dylan Moore to a major league deal on Saturday and he is expected to be on the Opening Day roster. Moore triggered his opt-out clause last week which forced the Phillies to either add him to the 40-man roster or let him walk as a free agent.

Dylan Moore in agreement with Phillies on major league contract

Dylan Moore and the Phillies are in agreement on a major-league deal, league sources said. He is expected to be on their Opening Day roster. https://t.co/HPERIyG1il
— Will Sammon (@WillSammon) March 21, 2026

Phillies break camp in a week with a few roster spots still up for grabs

Dylan Moore is 33 years old and has spent essentially his entire career with the Mariners across 689 big league games. He is not going to hit for average. His career line is .206/.310/.383 and his Spring was not much better at .226/.324/.258 in 37 plate appearances. That is not why you have him on your roster.

You have him because he can play every position on the field except catcher and he is genuinely good at most of them. Second base, shortstop, left field, right field, third base, first base, center field.

Over his career he has accumulated 14 Defensive Runs Saved and 8 Outs Above Average at second base and 14 DRS and 11 OAA in left field. He is a Gold Glove winner from 2024. He has above average pop for a utility player, walks at a 12 percent clip against lefties, and runs well.

Dylan Moore gives Rob Thomson the ability to move pieces around the lineup without losing anything defensively and that kind of versatility is genuinely valuable on a contending roster. Moore also fills a need as a backup center field option behind Justin Crawford if something goes wrong there early in the season.

The bench picture is now mostly clear. Either Rafael Marchán or Garrett Stubbs will be the backup catcher behind JT Realmuto. Edmundo Sosa has a utility role locked down. Otto Kemp is in as a platoon option for Brandon Marsh in left field.

Dylan Moore fills the final position player spot. Bryan De La Cruz, who had a fantastic Spring but offers limited defensive flexibility and has graded out poorly in the corner outfield, loses the battle and heads to Triple-A Lehigh Valley until his opt-out clause kicks in July.

The roster is set. Opening Day is Thursday. Let’s go.