The San Diego Padres are looking for that spark to bring them over the hump. After a heartbreaking loss to the Chicago Cubs in the Wild Card round, San Diego is looking to bounce back this season. They've already made an intriguing move by signing disgraced Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos. Now, San Diego is reuniting with a former All-Star.
Dennis Lin reports that the Padres are signing first baseman Ty France to a minor-league deal. France, who was an All-Star with the Seattle Mariners in 2022, will rejoin his former team in 2026.
“The Padres and first baseman Ty France are reuniting on a minor-league deal, according to sources,” Lin posted on X. “France gets a non-roster invite to major-league camp.”
France's ties to the Padres date back to 2015, when he was drafted by the team in the 34th round. The first baseman spent a lot of time in San Diego, including a stint in the majors from 2019 to 2020. During the 2020 season, France was traded to the Mariners along with Taylor Trammell, Andrés Muñoz, and Luis Torrens for Austin Nola, Dan Altavilla, and Austin Adams.
France's breakout season was in 2022, when he was selected to replace Mike Trout in the All-Star Game. During that season, France slashed .274/.338/.436 throughout the season with 20 home runs. Since then, though, France has not been able to recapture that same magic. Last season, France split time with the Minnesota Twins and the Toronto Blue Jays, being part of the latter's run towards the World Series. France didn't see a lot of playing time with Toronto in the postseason, appearing in just two games.
The Padres earlier signed Castellanos, who had a messy falling out with his former team, the Phillies, before his release. Castellanos will likely be competing with France for the starting first base spot. The Padres also signed another former All-Star in ex-Rockies starter German Marquez, who was an All-Star in 2021.
