Veteran first baseman Ty France has agreed to a Minor League deal with the Padres, pending a physical, a source told AJ Cassavell on Monday. The club has not confirmed.
A day before, the Padres inked Nick Castellanos, who could see a possible move to first base.
Long known for his bat more than his glove, France orchestrated a remarkable turnaround with his defense at first base this past season. One year after posting the lowest outs above average total at the position (-12), France’s +10 OAA in 2025 were the most among all first basemen and a key reason why he earned his first Gold Glove.
The 31-year-old France began last season on the Twins and ended it on the pennant-winning Blue Jays after a trade on July 31. He batted .277 with a .692 OPS in 37 regular-season games with Toronto. He also appeared in two World Series games and had an RBI groundout in the Blue Jays’ Game 4 win over the Dodgers.
France, who hit just seven homers in 444 at-bats last season, is three seasons removed from a career-high 20 home runs with the Mariners in 2022, the same year he made his only All-Star appearance. Since the start of 2023, France has hit a total of 32 dingers and owns a .364 slugging percentage with a .686 OPS over 1,690 plate appearances.
A Southern California native, France attended San Diego State University and was selected by the hometown Padres in the 34th round of the 2015 Draft. He made his MLB debut in 2019 before he was included in a seven-player swap between San Diego and Seattle during the 2020 season.
The following year featured some of the best offensive numbers of France’s career. Commonly batting in the heart of the Mariners’ order, he produced a .291/.368/.445 slash line with 51 extra-base hits and a 129 wRC+ across 650 plate appearances.