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Ty France

Ty France To Serve As Twins’ Starting First Baseman

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The Twins made their recent signing of Ty France to a big league deal official earlier today, and manager Rocco Baldelli made it clear to reporters (including Bobby Nightengale of the Star Tribune) today that their new addition is taking over as the club’s regular first baseman.

“He’s going to play a lot,” Baldelli said, as relayed by Nightengale. “That’s really the best way of saying it. The kind of hitter that he is, this isn’t a platoon situation. I think he’s going to play.”

The Twins spent the majority of the offseason hoping to find a steady presence at first base after Carlos Santana departed for the division-rival Guardians in free agency, and now it appears they’ll turn to France to be just that. Even as France is coming off a down season in 2024, it’s not hard to understand why they decided to make that bet. After a lackluster rookie season with the Padres back in 2019, France broke out in 2020 and was traded to the Mariners midseason. He went on to have a strong three-year run in Seattle where he slashed .285/.355/.443 (129 wRC+). He made occasional cameos at both second and third base but mostly settled in as the club’s regular first baseman, even earning an All-Star nod at the position in 2022.

Unfortunately, France began to struggle after that. Though he played in 158 games for the Mariners in 2023, his production was only pedestrian as he hit just .250/.337/.366 with a 105 wRC+. Five percent better than league average isn’t bad, but also falls below expectations for an everyday player at a bat-first position for a contending club. It seemed as though France’s disappointing 2023 may just have been a flash in the pan early last year, as he entered 2024 hitting a robust .251/.329/.403 (117 wRC+) in his first 61 games of the season. Unfortunately, France suffered a fractured heel in mid-June of last year that sidelined him for two weeks, and he looked like a different player upon his return as he hit just .225/.285/.336 (73 wRC+) the rest of the way last season.

It would hardly be a surprise to hear that France, who entered the season with a career .309 BABIP but managed just a .255 BABIP following his injury, was hampered by the lingering effects of that injury throughout the latter part of the season. France himself acknowledged the role his injured heel may have played in his struggles last year, but didn’t want to entirely blame his injury.

“When you don’t have a foot, it’s hard to do things,” France said, as relayed by Nightengale. “I don’t want to put all the blame on that. There was a lot that went into it. I tried a different style of training that offseason trying to revamp my swing. It didn’t work out the way I thought it would. This offseason, I spent a lot of time just getting back to the basics of things. When I simplify hitting and just get back to being myself, I’m a pretty good hitter.”

With France seemingly being given a shot to prove himself healthy and effective out the gate in 2025, that leaves the Twins’ plans for Edouard Julien and Jose Miranda in question. The pair are headed into their age-26 and -27 seasons, respectively, and each has had significant success in the majors in the past as well as notable struggles. The duo seemed likely to handle first base for the Twins in 2025 without an external addition, but now that France is in the fold as the nominal starter at the spot in the lineup it’s unclear if either Miranda or Julien will have a path to consistent playing time. Both have experience elsewhere on the infield (Miranda primarily at third base, Julien at second) but are questionable defenders at those spots and may be better suited for a first base/DH role.

Of course, even without a clear path to playing time on Opening Day it’s easy to imagine either or both players getting significant reps this year. Byron Buxton, Carlos Correa, and Royce Lewis have all struggled to stay healthy during their time with the Twins and trips to the injured list for either Correa or Buxton could open up playing time on the infield for Miranda or Julien to take advantage of. A trade of an established hitter like Willi Castro could change the playing time picture in Minnesota, as could under-performance by either France himself or someone like top prospect Brooks Lee.

Twins Sign Ty France

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TODAY: The Twins officially announced France’s deal.

FEBRUARY 11: The Twins are in agreement with infielder Ty France on a one-year contract, pending a physical. It’s a non-guaranteed major league deal that places the Equity Baseball client on the 40-man roster and reportedly pays him at a $1MM rate if he breaks camp with the team. France will fill the roster spot that was recently vacated when Minnesota placed lefty Brent Headrick on waivers and lost him to the Yankees.

France, 30, was an All-Star with the Mariners in 2022 but has seen his production dip over the past two seasons. From 2020-22, the former Padres farmhand mashed at a .285/.355/.443 clip despite playing his home games in perhaps the most pitcher-friendly setting in MLB: Seattle’s T-Mobile Park. Weighting for that disadvantage, wRC+ pegged him at 29% better than average with the bat.

The 2023 season brought about a downturn, but France was still slightly better than average in the box, batting .250/.337/.366. He declined further in 2024, however, hitting just .234/.305/.365. That came despite a midsummer DFA from the Mariners and subsequent landing with the Reds, who play in one of MLB’s top hitters’ parks. It was only 195 plate appearances, but the change in venue didn’t bring about a return to form for France, who’ll now look to bounce back with the Twins.

At his best, France has shown 20-homer pop with plenty of doubles and good bat-to-ball skills. Last year’s decline was in part due to a 21.6% strikeout rate, but from 2021-23, France kept that number down to 16.4%. He doesn’t walk much (career 6.5%), but his contact skills and line-drive approach have typically propped up his batting average and led to solid on-base marks.

Defensively, France has experience at first base, second base and third base, though he’s not a strong option at any of the three spots. From 2021-22, he looked to be improving considerably at first base, drawing positive marks from Defensive Runs Saved, Ultimate Zone Rating and Outs Above Average alike. Those grades slipped in 2023, and defensive metrics panned him as one of the worst defenders in the sport this past season.

Notably, France did miss time with a fractured heel; it stands to reason that could’ve hobbled him at the time of the injury in June and lingered throughout the season. At the time of the injury, France was hitting .251/.329/.403 (117 wRC+). His strikeout rate was up, but the results were still strong overall. Upon reinstatement from the IL just 11 days later, France fell into a deep swoon and batted .220/.285/.336 in a sample of 298 plate appearances.

Adding some right-handed depth to the lineup has been a priority for the Twins this winter. They recently brought in Harrison Bader to both back up Byron Buxton in center field and to serve as a platoon option with lefty-swinging corner outfielders Trevor Larnach and Matt Wallner. France adds a second right-handed bat, one who’ll either supplant Jose Miranda as the favorite for reps at first base or perhaps just slot into a multi-player rotation between the infield corners and designated hitter.

Carlos Correa will be the Twins’ primary shortstop, but the rest of the infield is fluid. Royce Lewis is in line for regular time at third base, but the Twins have at least worked him out at second base as well. That’s in part because top prospect Brooks Lee — a natural shortstop — is seen as a better defender than Lewis at the hot corner. The presence of Lewis and Lee has pushed Miranda from third base to first base. The Twins also have second baseman/first baseman Edouard Julien in the mix, though the former top-100 prospect is looking to rebound from a down year at the plate in 2024. Utilityman Willi Castro can play virtually any spot on the diamond. The additions of France and Bader will likely push former top prospect Austin Martin from a bench role to a regular job in Triple-A.

Adding France into the mix only gives the Twins more options and safeguards against potential injury. Speculatively, that depth could also come into play in preparation for a late-offseason trade, though president of baseball operations Derek Falvey said recently that after focusing heavily on the trade market throughout the winter, the Twins saw more paths to upgrade in free agency. That didn’t appear to be in the cards for much of the winter, as the Twins have been up against a serious payroll crunch with the team up for sale, but it seems ownership recently gave the green light to upping the 2025 budget on a series of short-term deals. The Twins have added France, Bader ($6.25MM) and Danny Coulombe ($3MM) in the past week alone.

Phil Miller of the Star Tribune was first on the signing.

Ty France Open To Playing Catcher

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Ty France hit free agency at the start of the offseason when the Reds outrighted him off their 40-man roster. Mark Feinsand of MLB.com tweets that the former Mariner is open to catching opportunities as he fields interest from other teams. Feinsand adds that France has already received at least one guaranteed contract offer, though it’s not clear how many teams (if any) view him as a realistic option for work behind the plate.

France has never played catcher in an MLB or minor league game. He’s not wholly unfamiliar with the position though. As a member of the Padres early in his career, France took catching reps at the team’s alternate training site during the 2020 canceled minor league season. He was reportedly viewed as a potential emergency catcher in both San Diego and Seattle, though neither team ever got into a situation where they were compelled to use him.

At 30 years old with no in-game catching experience, France is probably no more than a third catcher or emergency option. It’d be a huge task for him to acclimate to the receiving and game-calling nuances for even semi-regular work at the position. Still, there’s little harm for France in expressing a willingness to entertain catching if a team offered him the opportunity.

France’s lack of defensive value is the biggest knock against him. While he has a bit of experience at both second and third base, he doesn’t have the quickness to play either position regularly. France played almost exclusively first base in 2024. He received poor defensive marks there as well. Defensive Runs Saved graded him seven runs below average, while Statcast estimated he was nine runs below par.

For a couple years, France offset that minimal defensive profile with a big performance at the plate. He combined for a robust .284/.354/.441 slash between the 2020 deadline deal that sent him to Seattle and the end of the ’22 season. His production dipped to a .250/.337/.366 line in 2023. The decline continued this year, as France got out to a .223/.312/.350 start before the Mariners designated him for assignment. A move to hitter-friendly Great American Ball Park didn’t spark his bat. France hit .251/.292/.391 in 52 games for the Reds.

FanGraphs and Baseball Reference each graded France’s 2024 performance below replacement level. That made it an obvious call for Cincinnati to decline to tender him an arbitration contract that likely would’ve topped $8MM. It wasn’t out of the question that France would be limited to minor league offers, but Feinsand’s report indicates there’s at least one team willing to give him an Opening Day job. That’d very likely be on a low base salary, potentially with incentives based on his games or plate appearances.

Ty France Elects Free Agency

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The Reds announced a series of roster moves Friday, most notably revealing that first baseman Ty France cleared waivers and elected free agency. He would’ve been arbitration-eligible and was projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz to earn $8.6MM in his final season of club control. Today’s outright and subsequent free agency election is effectively an early non-tender.

Cincinnati also passed catcher Austin Wynns, righty Tejay Antone and outfielder Nick Martini through waivers unclaimed. Like France, Wynns and Martini opted for free agency. Antone accepted an outright assignment and will remain with the club and continue mending from the third elbow surgery of his career.

France, 30, was an offensive force for his first three years with the Mariners from 2020-22, hitting a combined .285/.355/.443 with 42 homers, 68 doubles and three triples in 1418 plate appearances. He rarely struck out (16.7%), hit plenty of line drives and, after spending much of his minor league career playing other positions, worked his way into becoming an above-average defender at first base.

The 2023 season was a step back in all regards. France’s batting line slipped to .250/.337/.366 — still respectable but nowhere near his prior levels, particularly in the power department. His production dwindled further this year, and the Mariners designated him for assignment after he mustered only a .223/.312/.350 line in 88 games. The Reds swung a trade to acquire France in hope that a change of scenery would improve his output. France’s rate stats modestly improved, but not to the extent that one might hope when going from the league’s most pitcher-friendly stadium in Seattle to its most homer-happy park in Cincinnati. He finished the year at .234/.305/.365 between the two clubs.

France will now head to the free-agent market for the first time but do so coming off a sub-optimal platform spanning two years of struggles. He’ll likely be limited to one-year offers and guarantees well shy of the $8.6MM he’d been projected to earn in arbitration.

Wynns, 33, is the consummate journeyman backup catcher. He’s a career .230/.277/.332 hitter in 673 plate appearances split among five big league teams. He’s been with six different organization since the Orioles selected him in the tenth round of the 2013 draft. Wynns is regarded as a sound defender but has never provided much from an offensive standpoint.

Martini, 34, cracked the Reds’ Opening Day roster and belted a pair of homers in their first game of the season. It was downhill from there, however. He hit just .204/.266/.324 over his next 159 plate appearances before suffering a sprained thumb that ended his season in early July. Martini is a career .294/.399/.454 hitter in parts of eight Triple-A seasons and a .252/.336/.400 hitter in 575 big league plate appearances.

Reds Acquire Ty France

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The Reds announced Monday that they’ve acquired first baseman Ty France and cash from the Mariners in exchange for minor league catcher Andruw Salcedo. Seattle designated France for assignment last week. Cincinnati also placed catcher Austin Wynns on the 10-day injured list due to a lat strain, selected the contract of catcher Eric Yang from Triple-A Louisville and transferred righty Graham Ashcraft to the 60-day IL to open a 40-man spot. Their 40-man roster is now at capacity. Seattle is reportedly sending around $1.29MM to cover part of France’s remaining salary.

Entering the season, the notion of the Reds acquiring a first baseman would’ve seemed silly. Cincinnati had an infield surplus and a particular glut of first basemen, with Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Spencer Steer and offseason signee Jeimer Candelario all standing as options at the position. However, Encarnacion-Strand’s season ended early due to wrist surgery, while Steer has seen significant time in the outfield. Candelario has spent much of the year at third base but has been at first base more frequently since Noelvi Marte returned from an 80-game PED suspension. France figures to slide in at first base — certainly against left-handed pitching — while Candelario could see increased time at designated hitter.

Originally drafted by the Padres, France went to Seattle alongside Andres Munoz in the 2020 trade that sent catcher Austin Nola from Seattle to San Diego. He broke out immediately with the M’s and for several seasons was one of their most productive hitters — even earning a well-deserved All-Star nod in 2022. From 2020-22, France posted a combined .285/.355/.443 batting line. He belted 42 homers despite playing in the game’s most pitcher-friendly park, adding 68 doubles and three triples along the way. He didn’t walk much (6.5%) but also went down on strikes in only 16.7% of his plate appearances.

France’s bat took a step back in 2023, when he hit .250/.337/.366 with a dozen homers. His bat-to-ball skills remained strong, however, and his batted-ball metrics remained in line with those that he’d posted during that strong 2020-22 run. A dip in his homer-to-flyball rate was at least partially to blame, and the Mariners tendered France a contract despite the down year, understandably betting on his track record and the ostensibly fluky nature of his ’23 downturn.

The rebound the M’s had expected never manifested, unfortunately, and this year’s struggles are more alarming. France’s contact skills have dipped noticeably. After making contact on 91.2% of pitches in the strike zone in the three preceding seasons, his contact rate on balls in the zone has dropped to 87%. He’s chased off the plate less but also swung less in general as well, dropping from a 52.5% swing rate to a 48% mark. As he’s gotten more passive and made contact in the zone less often, pitchers have attacked him more (58% first-pitch strike rate in 2021-23; 61.2% in ’24). The change in approach hasn’t worked out, as France’s strikeout rate has spiked to a career-worst 24.4%.

The Reds, in dire need of an offensive jolt, will send a low-level catching prospect to the Mariners in hope of turning France around. He’ll move from one of the worst settings for a hitter (Seattle’s T-Mobile Park) to one of the best (Cincinnati’s Great American Ball Park) — and that swap alone should help France in the power department. The Reds will hope that the change in scenery and some new coaching input and new data from their front office can help France get back to his prior form. They’ve received an awful .215/.266/.363 slash from their first basemen this season, so France will have a low bar to clear when it comes to providing an upgrade..

If France is indeed able to return to form — or at least more closely approximate his peak form — he’ll be a multi-year option for Cincinnati. He’s not currently signed to a contract for the 2025 season but is arbitration-eligible one final time this winter. The Reds would owe him a raise on this year’s $6.775MM salary, though his early struggles in Seattle should tamp down the weight of any salary increase and keep him shy of $10MM. If not, France would be a trade or (likelier) non-tender candidate in the offseason.

As for the Mariners, they’ll bring in a 21-year-old catcher who’s played parts of four seasons in the Reds’ system. Salcedo carries a .246/.347/.330 batting line in a still-small sample of 98 professional games. He’s fanned in 27.5% of his plate appearances but also walked at a hearty 11.4% clip. He’s not regarded among the Reds’ top prospects, but that sort of low-level lottery ticket return is to be expected for a veteran player on a notable salary. In the meantime, they’ll continue to give regular playing time at first base to top prospect Tyler Locklear while also scouring the market for an additional bat to add to the mix after acquiring Randy Arozarena from the Rays last week.

Ronald Blum of the Associated Press reported the specifics of the cash considerations.

Mariners Designate Ty France For Assignment; Place Julio Rodríguez, J.P. Crawford On Injured List

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The Mariners’ roster got a major shakeup today, with the club announcing a huge slate of moves. First baseman Ty France was designated for assignment while shortstop J.P. Crawford and outfielder Julio Rodríguez each landed on the 10-day injured list. Crawford has a right hand fracture while Rodríguez has a right high ankle sprain. In corresponding moves, the club recalled infielders Tyler Locklear, Leo Rivas and outfielder Cade Marlowe.

The writing seemed to be on the wall for France a few days ago. Seattle placed the 2022 All-Star on outright waivers earlier this week in hopes that another club would claim the remainder of his $6.775MM salary. Earlier today, Chris Cotillo of MassLive reported on X that France had gone unclaimed on waivers.

The Mariners didn’t have to outright France to a minor league affiliate — they could have simply decided to keep him on the roster, as the Blue Jays did with Kevin Kiermaier earlier this month when he also cleared waivers — but it seems they are committed to moving on.

Now that he’s been designated for assignment, he’s off the 40-man roster and they will technically have some time to explore trade scenarios. With France clearing waivers, the M’s at least know that they can’t just get rid of his salary, though they could perhaps eat some of that as a means of facilitating a deal. France has enough service time to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency while retaining the remainder of his salary, so he’ll likely end up released if no trade is worked out in the coming days.

From 2020-22, the thought of placing France on waivers would’ve seemed silly. The former Padres prospect went from San Diego to Seattle as part of the Austin Nola trade at the 2020 deadline and posted a terrific .284/.354/.441 slash (127 wRC+) with 40 homers, 64 doubles and three triples. France had posted strong offense throughout his minor league tenure but drew concern from scouts about his lack of an obvious defensive home. He worked himself into a fine defender at first base though, posting average or better marks there up until an across-the-board decline this season.

France’s glove isn’t the only thing that’s taken a step back. He was barely a league-average hitter in 2023 and has seen his production dwindle further in 2024. Over his past 1005 big league plate appearances, he’s posted a punchless .241/.328/.361 slash. France is still getting on base at a decent clip, but his strikeout rate has spiked from 16.4% (2020-22) to 24.4% in 2024. This year’s 19.7% line-drive rate is a personal low, and France’s 46.3% grounder rate is the second-highest mark of his career. For a player whose average sprint speed ranks in the seventh percentile of MLB hitters (via Statcast), an uptick in grounders is particularly problematic.

Though his recent play hasn’t been up to his prior standards, France has plenty of track record. He’s been a solid right-handed bat who’s primarily played first base in the majors but has dabbled at the opposite infield corner and at second base as well. If he ends up released, a new team could sign France and would only owe him the prorated league minimum for any time spent on the big league roster, as the Mariners will remain on the hook for the rest of this year’s salary.

France would also be controllable for a new club through the 2025 campaign. He opened the current season with 4.089 years of MLB service and has already added another 117 days. That’ll push him to five-plus years. A new team could go through the arbitration process with him this offseason, or they could push for a more palatable club option to be tacked on, as the Tigers did with Carson Kelly last August following his release with the D-backs.

Crawford was hit by a pitch on the hand in last night’s game and suffered a fracture. Rodríguez collided with the outfield wall on Sunday while attempting to make a catch and was visibly injured, with video relayed on X by Fox Sports MLB.

It’s unclear how long the Mariners expect to be without those two players, but they are notable blows for a club that has already been plummeting of late. Just over a month ago, the club had a ten-game lead in the American League West. But some poor play from Seattle combined with a hot streak from the Astros now have the M’s percentage points behind Houston and also 3.5 games back of a Wild Card spot.

The timing of the injuries is not only unfortunate for that reason but also because Rodríguez was starting to heat up after a rough first half. He was hitting just .247/.297/.327 for a wRC+ of 83 through the end of June but had slashed .375/.434/.688 since the calendar flipped to July. That resurgence will now have to be put on hold for as long as he’s out.

Crawford has been scuffling this year as well, though luck could be a big factor there. He is slashing .204/.299/.347 on the year but his .243 batting average is well below his .293 career rate and the .289 league average in 2024. That has dragged his offense from last year’s 134 wRC+ to 90 this year, though he’s still been able to contribute by stealing five bases and providing above average shortstop defense. Ideally, his luck would have evened out in time but he won’t have that opportunity for as long as he’s on the IL.

The M’s will now have to try to pull themselves out of this tailspin without contributions from France, Crawford or Rodríguez. Locklear is covering first base today and could get some regular run there going forward, with Jason Vosler perhaps factoring in as well. Utility player Dylan Moore is at shortstop in tonight’s lineup and may be the regular there, with Rivas backing him up. Víctor Robles is in center field and figures to be joined in the club’s outfield mix by Canzone, Luke Raley, Mitch Haniger and Jonatan Clase.

With the trade deadline now just a week away, the Mariners figure to be looking for more offense in general and it’s been reported that they will be aggressive in doing so. At this point, there’s nothing to suggest that either Crawford or Rodríguez is facing a significant absence but it nonetheless could heighten the club’s focus on adding a bat or two. The Mariners are hitting a collective .217/.298/.364 this year for a 93 wRC+, which places them 22nd in the league.

Mariners Place Ty France On Outright Waivers

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The Mariners have placed first baseman Ty France on outright waivers, according to Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times. France remains on the club’s 40-man roster and can still play for the Mariners while on waivers until or unless he is claimed.

Should France clear waivers, the Mariners would then be able to outright or release him, though it’s worth noting that France has enough service time to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency and that Seattle could also simply opt to retain France on their roster afterwards, as the Blue Jays did with center fielder Kevin Kiermaier earlier this month. As was the case with Kiermaier, the move appears to be motivated by a desire on the part of Seattle to find a taker for France and the remainder of his $6.75MM salary this year, though ESPN’s Jeff Passan suggests that the move is also designed to open up full-time at-bats at the big league level for top first base prospect Tyler Locklear.

France, who celebrated his 30th birthday last week, is in the midst of a difficult season at the plate. The first baseman has slashed just .224/.313/.351 good for a wRC+ of just 97 and is striking out at a career-worst 24.5% clip. It’s the second consecutive down year for France, as he posted a somewhat lackluster 104 wRC+ in 158 games with Seattle last year as well. That down 2023 season led the club to listen to offers for the first baseman last summer, although no deal ultimately came together. Nearly a year later, the club is now evidently open to parting ways with France for nothing but salary relief with Locklear knocking at the door of the majors and France still struggling to produce at a level commensurate with the offensive expectations of his position.

It’s been a somewhat surprising drop off in production for France, who was a well-above average bat as recently as 2022. Acquired from the Padres as part of the seven-player deal that sent Austin Nola to San Diego back in 2020, France did nothing but hit during his first three seasons with the Mariners. From 2020 to 2022, France slashed an excellent .285/.355/.443 while striking out just 16.7% of the time and clubbing 42 homers in 335 games. It’s at least feasible to imagine a club that has a need at first base and believes they can unlock that old form in France would be willing to pay the remainder of his 2024 salary in order to take that chance, although it’s fair to wonder if interested clubs may prefer to see if France clears waivers before trying to acquire him at a lower price in the final week prior to the July 30 trade deadline.

In the meantime, rival clubs will have 48 hours from the time France was first waived to claim him, immediately adding him to their 40-man roster by doing so. Should he pass through waivers unclaimed, the Mariners will then need to decide whether to release France or retain him on their roster. Should France be released, he would then be eligible to be signed by any club for only a prorated portion of the major league minimum salary. If the club retains him on the roster, they would presumably continue to look for a suitor for France’s services in the run-up to the trade deadline. It’s even possible that Seattle could look to put France on waivers a second time after the deadline has passed, similar to how clubs like the Angels and Yankees handled pieces such as Lucas Giolito and Harrison Bader last summer after falling out of contention in August.

Seemingly poised to replace France in the Seattle lineup is Locklear, 23. Seattle’s second-rounder in the 2022 draft, Locklear has just 11 big league games under his belt, having slashed .200/.250/.433 in a brief cup of coffee while France was on the IL earlier this year. In 71 games between the Double- and Triple-A levels this year, Locklear has slashed an excellent .283/.389/.504 while striking out at a 24.5% clip that is, coincidentally, identical to France’s own strikeout rate this season.

Mariners Place Ty France On The 10-Day Injured List

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The Mariners made a series of roster moves this morning, headlined by the club’s reported promotion of first base prospect Tyler Locklear. Seattle also selected the contract of right-hander Matt Bowman, as first reported by Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times. In corresponding moves, first baseman Ty France was placed on the 10-day injured list with a fractured heel and right-hander Collin Snider was optioned to Triple-A in order to clear space on the active roster. Meanwhile, right-handers Levi Stoudt and Eduardo Salazar were designated for assignment to clear 40-man roster space for Locklear and Bowman.

The loss of France is surely a frustrating one for Mariners fans, as the 29-year-old has been one of the club’s hottest hitters dating back to the start of May. In his last 34 games, France has slashed a strong .259/.353/.448 in 133 plate appearances. That strong stretch has lifted his overall season line to a respectable .251/.329/.403, but his hot streak will now be cut short by a trip to the IL after France was hit in the heel by a pitch from Royals lefty Daniel Lynch IV. France was initially considered day-to-day due to the issue but after continued discomfort he underwent imaging that revealed a fracture. A timetable for France’s return is not yet clear, though it seems likely to be a fairly lengthy absence. France’s injury opened the door for Locklear’s promotion, which you can read more about here. As noted by Divish, the Mariners plan for Locklear to be the club’s everyday first baseman going forward, rather than part of a platoon with Luke Raley.

Also joining the club alongside Locklear is Bowman, a veteran of six major league seasons who has already pitched for the Diamondbacks and Twins so far this year. When the Twins dealt Bowman to Arizona, he had been squeezed off of Minnesota’s 40-man roster despite a solid showing in five appearances, where he posted a 2.35 ERA in 7 2/3 innings of work. Unfortunately, the wheels came off for Bowman across his four appearances with Arizona, where he was shelled for six runs on eight hits and two walks in 6 2/3 innings of work that ballooned his ERA to 5.02 on the year. That led the Diamondbacks to designate the righty for assignment in late May, and he later elected free agency rather than remain in the organization as a non-roster depth piece.

Bowman signed with the Mariners on a minor league deal last week and looked good in two scoreless appearances with the club’s Triple-A affiliate in Tacoma. Now, he’s set to join a Mariners bullpen that has lost key players like Matt Brash, Gregory Santos, and Gabe Speier to the injured list this season. While the 33-year-old righty hasn’t exactly impressed in the majors in recent years, he nonetheless sports a 3.51 ERA in 66 2/3 innings of work at the Triple-A level over the past two seasons with a solid 23.1% strikeout rate that suggests he could be a solid middle relief option for Seattle going forward. He’ll be replacing Snider in the club’s bullpen after the righty briefly came up from Triple-A last week; the 28-year-old now figures to return to the minors as a depth option for the Mariners moving forward.

Departing the club’s 40-man roster are Stoudt and Salazar, neither of whom have pitched for the Mariners in the majors this year. Salazar was claimed off waivers from the Dodgers just two weeks ago and sports a 6.91 ERA in 14 1/3 innings of work in the majors with L.A. and Cincinnati. He allowed two runs on three hits and three walks while striking out just one in 3 1/3 innings of work with Triple-A Tacoma. As for Stoudt, the righty was claimed off waivers from the Reds back in February as a potential depth starter but has pitched to disastrous results at Triple-A, with a 6.92 ERA in 52 innings of work and a strikeout rate of just 14.9%. The Mariners will have one week to either trade the pair or attempt to pass them through waivers. If either player clears waivers successfully, the Mariners will have the opportunity to outright them to the minor leagues as non-roster depth.

Mariners To Select Tyler Locklear

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The Mariners are set to select first baseman Tyler Locklear prior to tomorrow’s game against the Royals, according to Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times. The club will have to make corresponding moves to accommodate Locklear’s addition to both the 40-man and active rosters prior to tomorrow’s game.

Locklear, 23, was Seattle’s second-round pick in the 2022 draft. The Virginia Commonwealth product has moved quickly through the minors, reaching the Double-A level in just his first full professional season before reaching Triple-A 41 games into his 2024 campaign. He’s now poised to reach the majors after just ten games at Triple-A and with only 753 minor league plate appearances under his belt. His offensive output during his limited time at the minor league level certainly appears to indicate that he may be in need of a greater challenge, as he sports a career .289/.398/.508 slash line across all levels of the minors, including above average production by measure of wRC+ at every level he’s appeared at since graduating from complex ball.

That fantastic offensive performance has led him to become one of the more well-regarded prospects in the Mariners system. Baseball America rates Locklear as Seattle’s fifth best prospect and as the #83 prospect in all of baseball. BA highlights his “borderline plus-plus” power potential and patience at the plate, both traits that were on display when Locklear hit a fantastic .291/.401/.532 (155 wRC+) in 41 games at the Double-A level this season. Locklear clubbed eight home runs in just 188 plate appearances while walking at a strong 12.2% clip. That performance was good for the fifth-best on-base percentage and third-best wRC+ among all qualified hitters 25 or younger in the Texas League this season.

Locklear’s promotion to the majors comes amid injury concerns regarding first baseman Ty France. The 29-year-old is (as relayed by Divish) expected to undergo imaging on his right heel due to lingering “tenderness” after he was hit by a pitch from Royals left-hander Daniel Lynch IV during yesterday’s game. France indicated that he was hopeful he would only miss a few days of action, so it’s possible that he isn’t headed for the injured list to make room for Locklear on the active roster. While both Locklear and France have experience elsewhere on the infield, each has moved to first base full time in recent seasons and appears unlikely to be a factor at the other infield spots.

Should the Mariners plan to accommodate both Locklear and France in the starting lineup on a regular basis going forward, that would likely indicate reduced playing time for Mitch Garver, who has served as both the club’s regular DH as well as a backup catcher to Cal Raleigh. The possibility of Garver seeing less playing time going forward is hardly a shocking one given his struggles at the dish this year. While he enjoyed a strong .249/.347/.479 slash line with a 128 wRC+ between the 2021 and 2023 seasons with the Mariners and Rangers, Garver’s first season in Seattle has been difficult as he’s posted a line of just .177/.288/.331 (86 wRC+) in 54 games with the club this year.

Mariners Notes: Crawford, Raley, Emerson

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Before tonight’s matchup with the Yankees, the Mariners reinstated J.P. Crawford from the 10-day injured list. Seattle optioned Leo Rivas to Triple-A Tacoma to open a roster spot. Dylan Moore is starting at shortstop tonight, but Crawford will be available off the bench and could return to the lineup tomorrow.

Crawford appeared in 22 games before suffering an oblique strain in late April. He was off to a slow start, hitting .198/.296/.302 with two homers over 98 plate appearances. The left-handed hitting infielder had the best season of his career in 2023, when he popped a personal-high 19 homers with a .266/.380/.438 slash over 145 games. Crawford walked at a near-15% clip while striking out less than 20% of the time.

Moore has played shortstop in Crawford’s absence. The right-handed hitter has performed admirably, hitting .239/.316/.507 with 11 extra-base hits in 22 games. Moore has played well enough that he should stay in the lineup in a multi-positional role with Crawford’s return. In the short term, that could come at second base, where Jorge Polanco remains day to day as he battles hamstring soreness. Luis Urías has drawn in the lineup at third base in recent days, pushing Josh Rojas to the keystone.

Seattle could also mix and match more frequently at first base, although that’s not on account of injury. Luke Raley got the start there against Corbin Burnes in yesterday’s series finale in Baltimore. That pushed Ty France to the bench and allowed Dominic Canzone to draw into left field. It was Raley’s fourth start of the season at first base, in addition to his 24 starts in the outfield.

Adam Jude of the Seattle Times writes that manager Scott Servais could more frequently pencil Raley in at first base against right-handed starters. That’d allow the M’s to get the lefty bats of Raley and Canzone into the lineup while cutting into France’s playing time. France, a 2022 All-Star, slumped to a roughly league average .250/.337/.366 line last season. He’s off to an even slower start in 2024, hitting .235/.285/.359 through his first 165 plate appearances.

Raley (.297/.327/.444) and Canzone (.220/.289/.488) have made more of an offensive impact, particularly from a power perspective. The Mariners aren’t planning to utilize a strict first base platoon that’d keep France out of action against right-handed pitching entirely. To that end, he’s in tonight’s lineup against Yankees righty Marcus Stroman. Raley and Canzone are starting in the corner outfield, pushing Mitch Haniger to DH and Mitch Garver to the bench. With each of Garver, Haniger and France underperforming, Servais could trim into the playing time for any of that group to keep Raley and Canzone in the lineup.

Beyond the major league shuffling, the M’s provided an update on one of their top minor league infield talents. Colt Emerson, whom Seattle took with the 22nd pick in last year’s draft, will miss some time for Low-A Modesto. MLB.com’s Daniel Kramer tweets that Emerson recently suffered a fracture after fouling a ball off his foot and is expected to be out of action for 4-6 weeks. The 18-year-old is a consensus top 100 minor league talent. He was out to an excellent .271/.441/.414 start with more walks than strikeouts over 19 games before the injury.

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