The New York Yankees front office has been exploring MLB free agency in recent weeks for additions to strengthen the roster before spring training. With pitchers and catchers soon reporting, another veteran on the open market is reportedly on the club’s radar.
According to Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com, the Yankees, New York Mets, San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks are among the teams interested in signing Ty France. While no deal is imminent, the veteran’s market is reportedly moving.
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France, 31, earned an All-Star selection in 2022 and won a Gold Glove Award this past season. Splitting time with the Minnesota Twins and Toronto Blue Jays, he ranked in the 88th percentile of Baseball Savant’s Fielding Run Value and in the 96th percentile for Range (10 Outs Above Average).
The majority of his time came at first base, where he played 124 games with one appearance at second base. In the past, he had been deployed at third base, but he has only made minimal appearances at third base (six) and second base (three) since the start of the 2022 season.
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France isn’t the only first baseman Arizona is interested in. The Diamondbacks have been linked to Gold Glove Award winner Carlos Santana, who will be 40 years old this season. France was a slightly better hitter this past season—slashing .257/.320/.360 with a .681 OPS—but he does not provide much in the way of power, and he would likely be a bottom-of-the-order hitter with any club he signed with.
