‘This is going to be a good opportunity.’ Ty France ready to play wherever Mariners put him
Ty France was in the middle of a team fantasy football draft when Padres manager Jayce Tingler came to deliver the news.
Tingler took France and Luis Torres to call A.J. Preller, the club’s general manager, and the two teammates were informed they had been traded to the Mariners.
“It’s been a crazy whirlwind of emotions,” France said on a video call ahead of his and Torres’ first practice with their new club Wednesday afternoon at T-Mobile Park.
“This is the first time I’ve ever been traded, so this is all new for me, and it was definitely a crazy experience. But, I’m excited to be here. This is going to be a good opportunity.”
For what it’s worth, his fantasy draft was eventually completed, but he admittedly doesn’t remember much after hearing he was heading to Seattle.
“After getting that news it’s all kind of a blur,” he said with a laugh. “I don’t even really remember how the draft went. Thankfully I had two other guys on my team helping me out, so they kind of took over for me, and so far looking at the lineup we look alright.”
France spoke with Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto after the trade was completed to learn more about his new club, and Dipoto explained to the 26-year-old infielder he’s been trying to bring him to Seattle for a few years now.
France’s driving tool is his bat — he was the Pacific Coast League MVP in Triple-A last season, and hit 309/.377/.491 with four doubles, two homers and 10 RBI in his 20 games with the Padres prior to the trade — and has long intrigued the Mariners.
“He has hit everywhere he’s ever been,” Dipoto said earlier this week. “Last year he was a real popper for us with what he was doing at the minor league levels, and then we saw things we really liked in the big leagues. Pretty good judge of the strike zone, he’s got real power, and the hit ability from line to line, it just sneaks up on you. … His performance throughout his baseball life in the batter’s box is really noteworthy.
“So much so that in a deal where you’re trading a major leaguer with a .900 OPS like we did with Austin Nola, you didn’t have to look too far down the the OPS meter to find what Ty France had been doing this year.”
The excitement the Mariners have shown in fitting France into their every day plans has made the transition easier, he said.
“To feel wanted like that is pretty cool,” he said. “For him to tell me I’m going to come in and be in the lineup right away and hopefully make an impact, that was huge for me.”
Where exactly on the field he will land is yet to be seen. In two practices in Seattle this week as the Mariners await the arrival of the Rangers on Friday, France has taken a lot of reps alongside Kyle Seager at third base, but also has experience at first and second.
“We’ll move him around,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said Thursday. “He’s got positional flexibility. Certainly he’s played third base, first base and second base. He will stay on the dirt for the most part.”
France said he is most comfortable at third, but in the past couple seasons has bounced around enough that he doesn’t consider any position his set position.
“I’ve embraced the utility role,” he said.
With the Mariners currently rotating designated hitters, there’s a chance France could get reps there, too. He appeared in 10 games at DH for the Padres this season as the National League implemented the role for the abbreviated season.
“I kind of treated it as like a bat off the bench kind of role,” he said. “You have to find that routine that works for you, and for me, last year I practiced the bench role and kind of found a routine that worked, so I just used that same routine coming into the DH spot this year. And I’m thankful that there was a DH role this year. It got me a lot more at-bats. For me it wasn’t too much of an adjustment.”
Wherever France ends up playing, he will play regularly as the Mariners close out their final 23 regular season games.
“We do feel like ultimately he is going to gravitate toward a position, and we’re willing to move him around until we figure out what that position is,” Dipoto said.
ROTATION SHAKE UP
With their series against the A’s postponed due to a positive COVID-19 test in Oakland’s organization over the weekend, the Mariners have reorganized their rotation ahead of Friday’s series opener against the Rangers at T-Mobile Park. Here’s who is scheduled to start each game of the four-game series:
Friday – Yusei Kikuchi.
Saturday – Justus Sheffield.
Sunday – Justin Dunn.
Monday – Marco Gonzales.
“We will stay in a six-man rotation, and I’m glad we are,” Servais said. “I think there’s been benefit to it for us, and I think there’s going to be benefit for us going forward with it. I think we’ve seen our guys be able to maintain their stuff every time out, and that extra off day has been nice for our starting pitching.”
Ljay Newsome, who slotted into Taijuan Walker’s rotation spot after Walker was traded to the Blue Jays, was expected to pitch Tuesday in the opener against the A’s before the series was postponed. Servais said Newsome could be available out of the bullpen Friday if needed, but is likely to make his next turn when the Mariners head to San Francisco next week.
Nick Margevicius, who was projected to pitch Thursday in what would have been the finale against the A’s, will also miss this cycle through the rotation, and is likely to make his next turn on Seattle’s upcoming road trip.
Margevicius threw about 50-55 pitches in a three-inning simulated game Thursday ahead of the Mariners’ team practice.
“I thought where he was, starting in the bullpen (this season), working up his pitch count, he was a guy we thought could kind of use a blow,” Servais said.
ROSTER MOVES
The Mariners have added another outfielder to their mix, claiming 28-year-old Phil Ervin off waivers Thursday from the Reds.
Ervin, a former first-round draft pick by Cincinnati, was designated for assignment by the club late last week after hitting just 3-for-35 with five runs scored, a stolen base and six walks to eight strikeouts in 19 games.
The No. 27 overall pick in 2013, Ervin debuted early in 2017 and has spent parts of four big league seasons with the Reds. He has a .250/.320/.415 slash line in 219 career games. He is primarily a left fielder, but played all three outfield positions with Cincinnati.
The Mariners have also added right-hander Walker Lockett, who they claimed Tuesday from the Mets, to the active roster. The 26-year-old has a 2-4 record and 8.28 ERA in 15 games (eight starts) in parts of three big league seasons.
The Mariners’ active roster is full at 28 players with the addition of Walker. The 40-man roster is now at 36.
INJURY UPDATES
▪ Utility player Dylan Moore (right wrist sprain) logged several at-bats in an intrasquad game Wednesday in Tacoma and returned to T-Mobile Park for practice Thursday. He is likely be activated sometime this weekend. “He looks good,” Servais said. “He’s ready to roll.”
▪ Kendall Graveman (neck spasm) was activated from the IL on Tuesday, and will return to the Mariners in a bullpen role, Servais said.
Graveman has been pitching in Tacoma for several weeks dealing with discomfort in his neck caused by a benign bone tumor in his cervical spine. The reports on his shorter outings there have been good, and Servais said the Mariners are hoping Graveman is able to end the season on a high note.
“Hopefully we can get them in there, keep them healthy, it’s 20-some games we’ve got to go,” Servais said. “How many appearances does he get? I don’t know. He’ll let us know. But, I know it’s a big goal of his to finish the season at least pitching.”
▪ Reliever Erik Swanson (right forearm strain) threw a bullpen during Thursday’s practice and is nearing a return. “He’s been feeling much better, so he could be added into our mix here real soon,” Servais said.
