After hitting .285/.355/.443 over 1418 PA during the 2020-22 seasons, France went from a 129 wRC+ over those three years to a 106 wRC+ in 2023, and a 93 wRC+ over the past two seasons. France is still making above-average contact, but his hard contact rates are mediocre at best and he has never walked much. Defensively, France’s glovework had plummeted in the eyes of the public statistics before he bounced back from nowhere to save +10 outs above average and +9 defensive runs in over 976 2/3 innings at first base in 2025, resulting in his first Gold Glove.
France is a right-handed hitter with no platoon split, as his numbers against right-handed and left-handed pitching have been basically identical throughout his career. Teams looking for a right-handed addition to first base may prefer a clear right-handed masher, though France’s new defensive capabilities are a bonus.
The Yankees did that Ben Rice (a left-handed bat) drafted as the starting first baseman and Giancarlo Stanton is locked into the DH role. There could be a few more at-bats available on the days Rice plays catcher, but France would be on a strictly part-time basis if he were to go to the Bronx. The same would apply in Queens, as the Mets plan to use Jorge Polanco as the starting first baseman, plus Mark Wind And Brett Baty will be at DH, or in the field when Polanco or one of the other Mets veterans gets a DH day. Having an experienced first baseman like France would be helpful for the Mets, as Polanco has only played one MLB game at first base.
The left-handed hitter Pavin Smith will get the bulk of Arizona’s first base work, but between a platoon first base role and an open DH spot, France would have more opportunities to play time with the Diamondbacks. Such names as Paul Goudschmidt And Carlos Santana have also been linked to the D’Backs this winter as part of the team’s ongoing search for help at first base.
Signing with the Padres would be a homecoming moment for France, a SoCal product who played college ball at San Diego State. France began his pro career as a 34th-round pick for the Padres in the 2015 draft, and he spent parts of his first two MLB seasons with the Friars before being dealt to the Mariners as part of a seven-player trade at the 2020 deadline.
If he returned to San Diego at age 31, France would provide a right-handed addition within a surplus of left-handed bats competing for time on the right side of the Padres infield. Jake Cronenworth, Month, Will WagnerAnd Gavin Sheets are all lefty swingers, and the Padres don’t have a regular DH. Sheets is expected to be the starting first baseman, with Cronenworth perhaps the favorite for DH duty and Song bouncing around to multiple positions, but there’s plenty in flux as the Padres figure things out. Song is getting his first taste of Major League action after nine seasons in the KBO League, and an oblique injury could delay the start of his first MLB campaign.
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