TODAY : The Twins officially announced Frances deal. FEBRUARY 11 : The Twins are in agreement with infielder on a one-year contract, pending a physical. Its a non-guaranteed major league deal that places the Equity Baseball client on the 40-man roster and reportedly pays him at a $1MM rate if he breaks camp with the team. France will fill the roster spot that was recently vacated when Minnesota placed lefty on waivers . France, 30, was an All-Star with the Mariners in 2022 but has seen his production dip over the past two seasons. From 2020-22, the former Padres farmhand mashed at a .285/.355/.443 clip despite playing his home games in perhaps the most pitcher-friendly setting in MLB: Seattles T-Mobile Park. Weighting for that disadvantage, wRC+ pegged him at 29% better than average with the bat. The 2023 season brought about a downturn, but France was still slightly better than average in the box, batting .250/.337/.366. He declined further in 2024, however, hitting just .234/.305/.365. That came despite a midsummer DFA from the Mariners and subsequent landing with the Reds, who play in one of MLBs top hitters parks. It was only 195 plate appearances, Calum Ritchie Jersey but the change in venue didnt bring about a return to form for France, wholl now look to bounce back with the Twins. At his best, France has shown 20-homer pop with plenty of doubles and good bat-to-ball skills. Last years decline was in part due to a 21.6% strikeout rate, but from 2021-23, France kept that number down to 16.4%. He doesnt walk much (career 6.5%), but his contact skills and line-drive approach have typically propped up his batting average and led to solid on-base marks. Defensively, France has experience at first base, second base and third base, though hes not a strong option at any of the three spots. From 2021-22, he looked to be improving considerably at first base, drawing positive marks from Defensive Runs Saved, Ultimate Zone Rating and Outs Above Average alike. Those grades slipped in 2023, and defensive metrics panned him as one of the worst defenders in the sport this past season. Notably, France did mi s time with a fractured heel; it stands to reason that couldve hobbled him at the time of the injury in June and lingered throughout the season. At the time of the injury, France was hitting .251/.329/.403 (117 wRC+). His strikeout rate was up, but the results were still strong overall. Upon reinstatement from the IL just 11 days later, France fell into a deep swoon and batted .220/.285/.336 in a sample of 298 plate appearances. Adding some right-handed depth to the lineup has been a priority for the Twins this winter. They recently brought in to both back up in center field and to serve as a platoon option with lefty-swinging corner outfielders and . France adds a second right-handed bat, one wholl either supplant as the favorite for reps at first base or perhaps just slot into a multi-player rotation between the infield corners and designated hitter. will be the Twins primary shortstop, but the rest of the infield is fluid. is in line for regular time at third base, but the Twins have at least worked him out at second base as well. Thats in part because top prospect a natural shortstop is seen as a better defender than Lewis at the hot corner. The presence of Lewis and Lee has pushed Miranda from third base to first base. The Twins also have second baseman/first baseman in the mix, though the former top-100 prospect is looking to rebound from a down year at the plate in 2024. Utilityman can play virtually any spot on the diamond. The additions of France and Bader will likely push former top prospect from a bench role to a regular job in Triple-A. Adding France into the mix only gives the Twins more options and safeguards against potential injury. Speculatively, that depth could also come into play in preparation for a late-offseason trade, though president of baseball operations Derek Falvey that after focusing heavily on the trade market throughout the winter, the Twins saw more paths to upgrade in free agency. That didnt appear to be in the cards for much of the winter, as the Twins have been up against a serious payroll crunch with the team up for sale, but it seems ownership recently gave the green light to upping the 2025 budget on a series of short-term deals. The Twins have added France, Bader ($6.25MM) and ($3MM) in the past week alone. of the was first on the signing. Logan O'connor Jersey