Padres sign Aztec for Life, Ty France to minor league deal
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The San Diego Padres signed Ty France to a minor league contract.
On a mission to acquire depth, the San Diego Padres made their fourth signing in the last few days.
Ty France was signed to a minor league deal and is expected to compete for a job on the roster.
France joins the additions of Nick Castellanos, Griffin Canning, and German Marquez made by A.J. Preller in the last 48-72 hours.
Preller has been a busy man, as he and the Padres agreed to a contract extension for the young GM on Monday. Details are not known yet, but Preller will remain in San Diego for the future.
The addition of Ty France strengthens the overall roster for the Padres. They have multiple people competing for a few roster spots and should get much more production than they got last year from the bench area. This is a good thing for Padres fans.
The Padres and first baseman Ty France are reuniting on a minor-league deal, according to sources. France gets a non-roster invite to major-league camp.
— Dennis Lin (@dennistlin) February 16, 2026
France played last year for $1 million as he signed with the Twins late in the winter. The right-hander won a Gold Glove last season. He is considered an excellent defender at first base. The Padres may try to utilize him late in the game as a defensive replacement.
The right-handed hitter has regressed with the bat after his All-Star years in Seattle. The former Padre was traded to the Mariners in 2020 in a deal for Aaron Nola. France immediately took off in Seattle, hitting for an .813 OPS in his first full season. But his bat started to go south.
At the age of 31, there is hope that there is still something left in his offensive production.
France went to San Diego State University and studied his craft under Tony Gwynn. The Aztec for Life is outspoken about his time with Gwynn.
Ty France owns a .735 career OPS in just under 3,000 major league at-bats. He is a great veteran addition for the Padres.
James was born and raised in America’s Finest City. He is a passionate baseball fan with even more passion towards his hometown Padres. James has written about the Padres and their prospects for over a decade. He also writes about San Diego State as well as other local sports. James is the Editor-In-Chief of EastVillageTimes.com. Always striving to bring you the highest quality in San Diego Sports News. Original content, with original ideas, that’s our motto. Enjoy.
This is a great pickup. Watched the gold glover play at The Mesa and am so happy to see Ty France come home to San Diego. A reunion with the Padres is what the doctor ordered.