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

SEATTLE — Seattle first baseman Ty France was surprised to learn Monday that he had been placed on waivers by the Mariners.

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

“I was a little bit 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 playing to the best of my ability, so anything can 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 remainder of his one-year, $6.775 million contract. If he goes unclaimed, the Mariners could designate France for assignment and send him outright 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 opt out of going to Triple-A and become a free agent. At that point, the Mariners would pay the remainder of his salary, and a team that signs him could pay him the major league minimum on a prorated basis.

France was a standout offensive player for several seasons after arriving in Seattle from San Diego in a midseason trade in 2020. 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 over the past two seasons and finds himself with an uncertain future.

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