Ty France’s first trip through free agency is shaping up to be a major payday.
Spotrac projects the Padres first baseman to land a three-year, $49.3 million contract, a deal that would pay him an average of $16.4 million per season and rank ninth among first basemen. For a player who has never made more than $6.78 million in a year - that came in 2024, when he was arbitration-eligible - it would mark a dramatic leap. His career earnings so far sit just under $16.2 million.
That projection comes after a breakthrough year in San Diego, where France arrived last offseason on a minor league deal and simply tried to win a roster spot in spring training. Instead, he turned himself into one of the Padres’ most valuable players in 2026. He set career highs with 21 home runs, a .865 OPS and a 141 wRC+.
He also gave the Padres strong work on the defensive side. France posted plus-8 Outs Above Average, which placed him in the 93rd percentile, and he ranked in the 97th percentile as a receiving first baseman.
France’s bat mattered from the start. He helped carry the lineup during the team’s early-season struggles, then stayed productive even after Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jackson Merrill heated up later in the year.
The price tag is steep, but the fit remains obvious. The source reporting indicates there is mutual interest in a reunion, and France has made it clear he wants to stay in San Diego. That message has been consistent from the start of the season through the end of the Padres’ postseason run.
“I’ve said it from the beginning. This is where we wanted to be.
I love this place. I love this city," France said after the team's postseason elimination.
"At the end of the day, it’s not entirely up to me. There’s a business side of it.
Hopefully we can have those conversations. ... But I’ve said it since spring training: This is where I want to be.
My heart’s in San Diego."
France’s connection to the organization runs deep. He went to San Diego State University, was drafted by the Padres in 2015, and was traded away in 2020 before finding his way back ahead of his best season.
The expectation here is that the Padres and France work out a deal to keep him in place. If that happens, he’d open the season as the team’s cleanup hitter and everyday first baseman, looking to build on the breakout he put together in 2026.
The Padres officially lost nine players to free agency Thursday morning, and France is one of the biggest names on that list. With a projected value like this, his next contract could be one of the more important decisions San Diego makes this winter.
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