Ty France has been around the block. And on Monday, the Gold Glove first baseman is heading back to where it all started, with the San Diego Padres on a minor league deal, walking straight into a crowded first-base picture that already features Gavin Sheets, Nick Castellanos, and Miguel Andujar, with spring roster questions piling up in Peoria.
The deal, first reported by Dennis Lin of The Athletic on Monday, February 16, was quickly confirmed by Jon Heyman and other media outlets. France, 31, is a career .262 hitter with 81 home runs and 364 RBI across seven big-league seasons — and just played in the 2025 World Series with the Toronto Blue Jays in their loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
But the bat has cooled significantly since his 2022 All-Star campaign with the Seattle Mariners, posting a sub-.700 OPS for the second straight regular season in 2025 across stints with the Twins and Blue Jays. The one thing that hasn’t slipped? His defense. France won the Gold Glove at first base in November after leading all AL first basemen with +10 Outs Above Average.
San Diego Padres to Sign Ty France After World Series Appearance with Blue Jays
This isn’t some random landing spot. The Padres drafted France in the 34th round of the 2015 draft out of San Diego State, and he made his big-league debut with the club in 2019 before being shipped to Seattle in the 2020 Austin Nola trade.
He’s a Downey, California native who went to college 15 minutes from Petco Park — this is as close to a homecoming as it gets. The reunion buzz had been building for weeks before Monday’s news broke, with multiple outlets flagging San Diego as a logical fit for a guy who knows the organization inside and out.
Where Ty France Fits in a Crowded Padres’ Infield
The path to a roster spot won’t be easy. Nick Castellanos — who signed a one-year deal with the Padres on February 13 — is already taking first-base reps this spring despite never playing the position in his career.
Gavin Sheets is the projected starter at the position, and Andujar is also in the mix. France is coming in on minor-league terms, which means he might need to force his way onto the 26-man roster through performance in Cactus League games.
However, none of those guys have a Gold Glove on their resume at first base. If France can show even a flash of the bat that made him an All-Star in 2022, the Padres would have a legitimate defensive upgrade at the position on a dirt-cheap deal. At worst, he’s an elite-glove insurance policy. At best, he’s the guy who came home and took the job.
Padres to Sign 2025 Gold Glove Winner After World Series Appearance