Defense at first base will be one of the biggest storylines to watch when Mets camp begins later this month.
Can the Mets trust Jorge Polanco at first? He’s transitioning to a new position and has made only one appearance at first in his pro career.
How often will Brett Baty and Mark Vientos mix into the playing time picture at first? Baty could make some starts in left field as well, swapping into more of a utility role after the Bo Bichette signing displaced him at third base.
One way to make first less of a question mark on that side of the ball would be to import a veteran and an elite defender to have on the bench. That’s why the Mets are showing interest in Ty France.
According to Chris Cotillo of MassLive, the Mets, Yankees, Padres, Diamondbacks and more have been involved with France in free agency. His “robust” market is “moving,” per Cotillo.
Without France, the Mets would likely roll with a platoon of sorts at first with Polanco being the primary option. Manager Carlos Mendoza can start Polanco at first on most days while mixing in Baty and Vientos whenever Polanco is off or being used at designated hitter.
In a scenario where the Mets sign France, they’d be adding some insurance. France won the American League Gold Glove Award at first base this past season. He would give Mendoza an option to turn to off the bench in a close game when the Mets want their best defensive unit on the field.
What’s interesting about France’s defensive success in 2025 is that it came out of nowhere. Before last season, metrics show that he was consistently a poor defender at the position. Either that means he could regress dramatically back to the norm in 2026 or something clicked last year and he’ll be an above-average defender for the rest of his career. That’s up for his suitors in free agency to decide.
On offense, France isn’t the same player as he was a few years back when he was an All-Star in 2022 with the Mariners. Since then, the right-handed hitter has hit .247 with a .686 OPS. That’s very much in line with his metrics. France is a free-swinger who puts the ball in play at a high rate, but his quality of contact metrics are weak.
Still, the defense — assuming he can pick up where he left off a year ago — is a plus. With Polanco and Baty holding the versatility to be used at other spots on the infield, the Mets could use a player like France to give other vets like Marcus Semien days off and keep everybody fresh throughout the season.
With the Twins and Blue Jays this past season, France was better offensively against right-handed pitching. That would fit along with Polanco, a switch-hitter who has been much better against lefties. Over the course of France’s career, however, he’s been neutral in his splits.
If the Mets don’t add another bat before the season begins, and barring any injuries at camp, their bench will consist of backup catcher Luis Torrens, fourth outfielder Tyrone Taylor, Vientos and either Ronny Mauricio or Vidal Bruján. The Mets acquired Bruján recently from the Twins and Mauricio, a former top prospect with the Mets, can be optioned to Triple-A to begin the year.