Listen to this article
Estimated 2 minutes
The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.
Gold Glover Ty France won’t be returning to the Toronto Blue Jays this spring, after signing a minor-league deal with the San Diego Padres.
The signing became official on Tuesday. The first baseman’s deal with the Padres includes a non-roster invitation to spring training.
His exit means he won’t be one of the puzzle pieces upon which Toronto will rely, as the ballclub begins a renewed campaign to return to the World Series in 2026.
The Blue Jays made a deal with the Minnesota Twins at the trade deadline last summer to bring France and hard-throwing reliever Louis Varland to Toronto.
The 31-year-old France played in 37 regular season games for Toronto last year, hitting .277, driving in eight runs and hitting a single home run for the Blue Jays during that stretch.
In last year’s World Series, France was part of the epic Game 3 between the Blue Jays and the Los Angeles Dodgers that ran 18 innings and lasted more than six hours. He went one for three at the plate.
France went on to win a Gold Glove for his work at first base in 2025, where he put up a .996 fielding percentage, making just three errors in 832 chances in his combined work during the regular season with Minnesota and Toronto.
He became a free agent after the season wrapped.
Other moves
He’s not the only member of the Blue Jays’ playoff run to find a new home during the off-season.
Infielders Bo Bichette (who signed with the New York Mets) and Isiah Kiner-Falefa (who’s now a member of the Boston Red Sox ballclub) are gone, as are pitchers Chris Bassitt (who signed a one-year deal with the Baltimore Orioles) and Seranthony Domínguez (who inked a two-year deal with the Chicago White Sox).
Longtime Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette is leaving for New York after signing a three year, $126-million contract with the Mets. Bichette had been with the Jays since 2016 and was a key factor in last year’s World Series run.
The Blue Jays have just one free agent who remains unsigned at this point — the veteran starting pitcher Max Scherzer.
