PEORIA, Ariz. -- There was baseball to be played and scouting reports still under review on Monday, the last day of Spring Training, the ultimate getaway day.
Off the field around the Mariners complex, though, it was a vibe more akin to the last day of school.
Office hallways and the clubhouse alike both strewn with bags and boxes packed full in rows. Lockers empty, or close to it. Thirty-nine days after pitchers and catchers first arrived, and 32 games later, it was almost time to skip town.
What could look dispirited depends instead on perspective.
¡°It¡¯s a cool sight if you¡¯re here,¡± smiled Ryan Bliss.
Bliss gets it. The club started with 73 players in camp and, on Monday, was down to 31 on the Spring Training roster. They¡¯ll need to be at 26 players -- including a maximum of 13 pitchers -- by Thursday¡¯s opener at T-Mobile Park against the Athletics.
Bliss has made a solid case this spring to be the club¡¯s primary option at second base not only in the season opener, but beyond.
The 25-year-old right-hander and former second round Draft pick of the D-backs made his Major League debut with Seattle in May of last year. He split the season between the big club and Triple-A Tacoma and made the most of his opportunity this spring.
He¡¯s played more games than anyone this spring at second base (14) including in Monday¡¯s finale, a 7-7 tie with the Padres, in which he reached base and scored in his first plate appearance. In 17 Cactus League games, Bliss slashed .308/.325/.462 while batting as high as fifth in the order -- when he lined an RBI triple -- but primarily batting in the 7-8-9 spots.
He¡¯s also one of only two Mariners this spring to score as many as three runs in one game.
On Monday, Seattle skipper Dan Wilson wasn¡¯t tipping his hand on whether the main option at second will be Bliss or Dylan Moore, who is coming off a 2024 Gold Glove campaign as a utility player, where he figures to flourish again this season.
¡°Ryan has done such a great job of taking to this idea of identity and his identity as a player,¡± Wilson said. ¡°Defensively, he handles the ball. Offensively, he¡¯s gonna use the middle of the field and get on base. And when he gets on base, he¡¯s gonna use his legs.¡±
Moore has played 12 games at second base this spring, and between the two of them they covered second in 26 of the team¡¯s 32 outings. The six-year MLB veteran hit just .136 in 16 Cactus League games and missed time towards the end of spring due to sickness.
Bliss has checked every box he had this spring.
¡°I worked on just keeping the ball lower, don¡¯t miss the fastball. I feel like this spring has been really good,¡± he said. ¡°Hopefully I can take everything I¡¯ve done and just continue doing it. Don¡¯t change anything. Nothing¡¯s different.¡±
The Mariners finished the Cactus League with an 11-19-2 record, but wins and losses don¡¯t tell most of the spring story. The offense scored 192 runs this spring, which was second most in all of baseball entering Monday¡¯s finales.
On Thursday the Mariners will send Logan Gilbert (9-12, 3.23 ERA, 33 starts in 2024) to the mound for his first Opening Day start. The Athletics will counter with righty Luis Severino (11-7, 3.91 ERA, 31 starts) who will make his second career Opening Day start.
What sort of personality this club will have in 2025 has time to emerge.
¡°It¡¯s been a preparatory phase and we¡¯re at a point where we¡¯re ready to go and become who we¡¯re gonna become,¡± Wilson said in his final Spring Training huddle with reporters. ¡°I don¡¯t think you can put that into words yet. It¡¯s still forming. It¡¯s still in the opening stages.¡±