Former All-Star on Padres’ Radar After Eugenio Suárez Miss

With how inexpensive the contract was, Eugenio Suarez will always feel like the one that got away. Still, the Padres are looking for a more budget-friendly option to bolster the lineup.

Oct 27, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Ty France singles during the tenth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers in game three of the 2025 MLB World Series at Dodger Stadium. | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

General manager A.J. Preller is continuing to look for ways to improve the roster after missing out on slugger Eugenio Suárez to National League rival Cincinnati. Although Suárez signed for much less than expected, his $15 million salary was still too expensive for a payroll-capped Padres team that needs to be creative in finding upgrades.

The newest bat the Padres are targeting is first baseman Ty France. He will not be easy to land, as the Yankees and Diamondbacks are also aggressively pursuing the 2022 All-Star.

France has struggled over the past few seasons, which is why he has fallen into the Padres’ budget range, but he could still provide upside for a lineup in desperate need of reinforcements. His peak came during the 2022 season, when he hit 20 home runs and posted a 127 wRC+ for the Mariners. He followed that breakout with a solid 2023 campaign, finishing with a 106 wRC+, before struggling in both 2024 and 2025.

Over the past two seasons, France has lost his reputation as a starting-caliber first baseman. Across 1,025 at-bats, he has just 20 total home runs and a 93 wRC+.

Still, the Padres are desperate and will be hoping for a resurgence from the former star. Based on his underlying metrics, France still possesses the bat-to-ball skills that carried him during his best seasons, but he has not been able to maintain the power required for elite production. In 2025, he ranked well in strikeout rate (76th percentile), whiff rate (70th percentile) and squared-up rate (68th percentile). If he can maintain that contact ability while sending a few more balls out of Petco Park, a rebound is possible.

His fit with the Padres would be questionable, especially after manager Craig Staimman announced that Gavin Sheets will be the starting first baseman in 2026. The clearest area where France could contribute immediately is on defense, given his strong grades at first base in 2025. He ranked in the 88th percentile for fielding value on Statcast with a plus-7 run value and posted excellent range at plus-10 outs above average (96th percentile).

By comparison, Sheets finished with a minus-1 fielding value and minus-4 outs above average in range.

Overall, France would still need a significant offensive bounce-back to provide real value to the Padres roster. He does not project as a strong platoon option, as the righty struggled more against left-handed pitching in 2025 with a 90 wRC+. If the Padres are forced to make a budget addition, they would be better off targeting a bat that can mash lefties and platoon with Korean star Sung-Mon Song.

Song has yet to face MLB pitching, but given his left-handed bat, he is expected to perform better against right-handers. 

With France potentially joining the roster as a DH or bench bat, it’s difficult to see where consistent at-bats would come from.