Worse Management ever: Mariners wave goodbye to fans favorite star

The Mariners waived Ty France, indicating the end of his tenure in Seattle.
In an unexpected move, the Mariners placed Ty France on waivers. Has he played his last game for the Mariners?
After a difficult series against the Houston Astros in which the Mariners lost two of three games, the team finally

made a move with their offensive. While it was not the deal Mariners fans had hoped for, it could be an example of addition by removal. The Mariners placed Ty France on outright waivers, which means he can be claimed by any of the league’s 29 teams. France will stay on the 40-man roster and can continue to play until he is claimed.

Ty France is a long-time fan favorite in Seattle. He’s been struggling for a while, and it appears that the Mariners are now ready to move on. France’s troubles extend beyond 2024, dating back to the beginning of the second part of 2022. France was voted to the All-Star Game in 2022, but his numbers have since plummeted.

Since the beginning of 2023, France has hit just.241/.328/.361/.689 with a 98 OPS+. While those percentages are all below average, his 2024 performance has been particularly poor.

He is hitting only.223/.312/.350/.662 with an OPS+ of 94. He has a career high strikeout rate (24.2%) and is considerably below league average in average exit velocity and hard hit percentage.

As previously stated, he can continue to play for the Mariners until he is claimed. Earlier this month, the Toronto Blue Jays released outfielder Kevin Kiermaier. He went unclaimed and has continued to play for the Blue Jays, knowing that each game could be his last. Is this something the Mariners intend to do? It is still too early to tell, but early signs suggest that the Mariners will call up a player to take over first base.

Who will take up first-base duties?

The Mariners’ logical choice is to call up Tyler Locklear, the Mariners’ sixth-ranked prospect and 99th overall, according to MLB Pipeline. Locklear had a cup of coffee with the Mariners earlier this year, when France suffered an injury. In 30 at-bats, he hit.200/.250/.433, including two home runs and a 40% strikeout rate. This season, he has also been slugging the ball in AAA Tacoma.
While Locklear appears to be the most likely candidate, the Mariners may opt to call up another infielder. According to Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times, the Mariners may consider calling up veteran infielder Jason Vosler from AAA Tacoma rather than

The 30-year-old has struggled in his brief Major League career, but he is crushing it down in Tacoma.

Vosler is batting.289/.357/.526/.883, with 20 home runs, 77 RBIs, and 33 walks. While they are outstanding figures, keep in mind that he plays in the PCL. The PCL is renowned for inflating hitting statistics, so take them with a grain of salt. Vosler is a career.210 hitter in the Majors, so keep expectations low if they go with the veteran.

 

In all honesty, I’ll miss seeing Ty France play. Has his work been frustrating at times? Absolutely. It’s a shame his time with the Mariners has come to an end like this. The difficulty of this position causes me to believe he won’t be around much longer, even if he goes unclaimed.

As always, go Mariners!