With the trade deadline a week away, Ty France has made his position clear: he wants to stay in San Diego.
The Padres have been one of the teams generating plenty of speculation in the days leading up to Aug. 3, and the chatter has only grown because the club could wind up both buying and selling. That uncertainty has put several players in the rumor mill, including France, who has turned in a breakout season in his second stint with the organization.
“This is where we wanted to be for multiple reasons,” France said to the San Diego Union-Tribune. “I never felt like my time here was finished when I was traded.
I always pictured myself playing for the San Diego Padres for a long time. Now getting that opportunity again, this is where I want to be.”
France has been one of the steadiest bats in the Padres lineup this year, hitting .286 with 16 home runs and 46 RBIs while posting an .886 OPS. That production has made him a tough name to imagine moving as San Diego tries to stay in the playoff race in a crowded National League.
He also appears to have settled in comfortably with the group around him. Fernando Tatis Jr. has already made his own plea to the front office not to deal France before the deadline.
There’s also a personal reason France would prefer not to pack his bags right now. His wife is pregnant with twins.
“My wife is almost 30 weeks pregnant with twins,” he said. “So being traded right now would not be the most ideal.”
France knows the business side of the sport better than most. He has been traded multiple times in his career, including a move from the Padres to the Seattle Mariners in 2020.
“When you’ve been traded as much as I have,” France said, “it’s hard not to get a little PTSD at this time of year.”
France returned to San Diego on a minor league deal over the offseason, and his strong year has only raised his value around the league. That leaves the Padres with a real decision to make: keep a productive hitter they may need for a playoff push, or turn him into return before he reaches free agency and is due a significant raise.
For now, France can only wait. The Padres, meanwhile, have a few anxious days ahead before the deadline passes and the roster talk finally goes quiet.
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