Mariners 1B Ty France ‘caught off guard’ to be put on waivers

SEATTLE — Seattle first baseman Ty France was surprised to find out Monday he had been put on waivers by the Mariners.

The Mariners placed France on irrevocable outright waivers Sunday. The 30-year-old is in the midst of a tough season at the plate, hitting .223 with eight home runs and 31 RBIs in 88 games. He has a .312 on-base percentage and a slugging percentage of .350.

“A little caught off guard,” France said before Seattle’s series opener against the Los Angeles Angels on Monday. “But I mean, I understand at the end of the day, it’s a business. I’m not performing to the best of my ability, so anything could happen.”

France is still on the Mariners’ active roster for their game against the Angels. He was not in the starting lineup but could play if needed.

MLB teams have 48 hours to claim France and add him to their roster, and pay him the rest of his one-year, $6.775 million contract. If he goes unclaimed, the Mariners could designate France for assignment and outright him to Triple-A Tacoma, or leave him on the active roster.

As a player with more than five years of MLB service time, France can refuse to go to Triple-A and become a free agent. At that point, the Mariners would pay the remainder of his salary, and a team that picks him up could pay him the prorated major league minimum.

France was an offensive standout for several seasons after coming to Seattle from San Diego in a 2020 midseason trade. He was an All-Star in 2022, a season in which he hit .274 with 20 homers and 83 RBIs. But, France has struggled to replicate that production the past two seasons and finds himself with an uncertain future.

“I think he’s handling it as best he can,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “Ty’s a pro. He’s played a lot of really good baseball for us here over the years, a key part of our lineup, right in the middle of it oftentimes. But you know, things happen. It is a business.”