Mariners fans cringe as 3 former stars light up 2025 spring training

Ty France, Minnesota Twins

After arriving in Seattle via a trade with the San Diego Padres in 2020, France got off to a great start. His first two full seasons were outstanding and he made his first and only All-Star appearance in 2022. The next season was when the problems began, as he managed an OPS+ of just 101 over his 665 plate appearances.

Despite a conscious effort to make positive adjustments, France simply couldn't get back on track in 2024. He was eventually designated for assignment and traded to the Cincinnati Reds, where his numbers tumbled even further as he finished with a mere 92 OPS+. He then elected free agency.

This offseason, France signed a one-year, $1 million contract with the Twins to try and revive his career. And so far, things look promising. Across 25 spring training plate appearances, he's slashing .522/.560/.957 with four doubles and two home runs.

He has never been known to be a powerful first baseman, never hitting more than 20 home runs in a season. That seems to be changing as he continues to work on his swing with the Driveline team, something he picked back up after being designated for assignment by Seattle.

France was undeniably bad towards the end of his time in Seattle. Yet given the uncertainty around the team's depth at first base, watching him put up solid numbers of the course of a full big-league season could be a painful thing to witness in 2025.