The Padres are expected to sign first baseman Ty France to a minor league deal, reports Dennis Lin of The Athletic. The agreement includes an invitation to MLB Spring Training. France spent time in the big leagues with the Twins and the Blue Jays last season. The veteran infielder is a client of Equity Baseball.
France had interest from multiple teams, but ultimately landed back in San Diego, where it all started. The 31-year-old Southern California native was selected by the club in the 2015 draft. France debuted for the Padres in 2019, but was dealt to the Mariners the following season. He was part of the swap that netted Seattle’s future closer Andres Munoz. Catcher Austin Nola headlined the package that went back to San Diego.
The Padres add another right-handed bat to factor into the first base/DH mix that includes Miguel Andujar and Nick Castellanos. Gavin Sheets is slated to be San Diego’s primary first baseman. The lefty swinger posted an underwhelming .669 OPS against same-handed pitching last season.
More to come…