The San Diego Padres have re-signed veteran first baseman Ty France to a minor league contract.

Reporter AJ Cassavell reports that veteran first baseman Ty France has reached a minor league contract agreement with the San Diego Padres, pending a successful physical, though the team has not made an official statement yet.

The day prior, the Padres had just signed Nick Castellanos, who plans to shift to first base.

France has been known more for his bat than his glove, but last season he made a remarkable transformation defensively at first base. A year ago, his defensive runs saved were the lowest among all first basemen at -12, but in 2025, he led all first basemen with a +10 OAA rating, which was a key factor in earning his first Gold Glove award.

The 31-year-old France began last season with the Minnesota Twins and was traded on July 31 to the Toronto Blue Jays, who eventually reached the World Series. He played 37 regular-season games for Toronto, hitting .277 with a .692 OPS. In the World Series, he appeared twice and contributed an RBI groundout in the Blue Jays’ Game 4 victory over the Dodgers.

France hit only seven home runs in 444 plate appearances last season. His career single-season high for homers is 20, achieved in 2022 with the Seattle Mariners, the same year he made his only All-Star appearance. Since 2023, France has totaled 32 home runs over 1,690 plate appearances, with a slugging percentage of .364 and an OPS of .686.

A Southern California native, France graduated from San Diego State University and was selected by his hometown Padres in the 34th round of the 2015 draft. He made his major league debut in 2019 and was traded to the Mariners in 2020 as part of a seven-player deal involving the Padres.

The following year, he posted one of his best offensive seasons, consistently batting in the middle of the Mariners’ lineup. Over 650 plate appearances, he posted a slash line of .291/.368/.445 with 51 extra-base hits and a wRC+ of 129.