Seattle Mariners Free Agency: Could Team Pursue Reunion with Ty France?

On Friday, free agent first baseman Ty France was featured in a nice article in The Athletic, which discussed how he was able to turn his career around in 2026 as a member of the San Diego Padres.

And it has me thinking that France should be a target for the Seattle Mariners this offseason.

Let's dig a little deeper...

Drafted in the 34th round of the 2015 MLB Draft out of San Diego State, Mariners fans will remember France well. He was traded from the Padres to the Mariners in the COVID 2020 season and immediately made an offensive impact. He helped the Mariners ascend in 2021 and he helped them make the playoffs in 2022 while taking over at first base for the oft-injured Evan White along the way.

He made the All-Star Game in 2022, but really struggled from the back half of 2022 through the front half of 2024, and he was designated for assignment after 88 games that season. He finished up 2024 with the Cincinnati Reds and then spent 2025 with a combination of the Minnesota Twins and Toronto Blue Jays, winning the Gold Glove Award in the American League.

Signed to a one-year deal with the Padres before 2026, France turned in a banner year, rediscovering his former form. He hit .295 with 21 homers, 72 RBIs and an .865 OPS and helped lead the Padres to the playoffs.

Well, he'd be an every day player, first and foremost. He and Josh Naylor would presumably both split time between first base and designated hitter, allowing both of them to stay fresh and healthy. France is regarded as a strong defender, so perhaps he'd get more time in the field, but both players would be in the lineup regularly.

This would presumably force Dominic Canzone to right field more regularly, and would force Lazaro Montes to the bench or to the minors. So, there are down-roster complications from this move.

Well, first off, the Mariners need offense, with Jerry Dipoto recently telling us that the team wants to add 1-2 bats in the offseason. They are going to lose Randy Arozarena, and possibly JP Crawford, in free agency and need to find suitable replacements for them.

Furthermore, France has had previous success hitting in Seattle (.275, 29 homers), and he's had success in San Diego (.286, 15 homers). If he can have success in both of those places, over multiple seasons, then there's reason for optimism that he can help again.

Furthermore, the money could work out well for the M's. Seattle is projected to have $30-35 million to spend this offseason, and France is being projected for between $10-16 million per season. MLBTradeRumors had him pegged for a two-year, $32 million deal, which the M's can afford.

New manager Jason Kanzler is a hitting guy, and new hitting coach CJ Gillman is well-regarded, and someone that France likely knows from his spin in Seattle. A strong hitting infrastructure could be appealing.

Furthermore, France has spent most of his life on the West Coast. If that's important to him and his young family, this could be a good chance to re-up in a place that's familiar.

Does he harbor any bad blood about how he was let go in 2024? If so, that could take away from the positive nature of a possible reunion.