Re-grading the Mariners and Padres deal for Ty France
A few years ago, the Mariners and Padres swung a deal based around Ty France, Andres Munoz, and Austin Nola. We look back and re-grade the deal for both teams
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Back in 2020, the Mariners were floundering through the shortened season, and were 13-22 heading into August 30th. Remember that it was only a 60-game season, so with 25 games left, the Mariners decided to become low-key sellers and make a move to improve the team in the long term. To do so, they called up their "rival" in the San Diego Padres to try and make something happen. For those who don't remember all the details, here is who moved around in that deal.
re-grading the Ty France deal
I wanted to take a look back at this trade and how it ended up for both teams after the recent Mariners' news relating to Ty France being placed on waivers, effectively ending his tenure with the Mariners. How do we grade this deal for both teams nearly 4 years after it's conception?
Let's go through each of them, checking on how the players have done with their new (at the time) teams, and see how they have progressed since then. Surprisingly, a lot of these players aren't even on rosters right now, which isn't what you would expect from a seven-player deal just shy of four years into it. Let's start off with the Padres.
Nola struggled once he was traded to finish out the season, dropping from a 151 OPS+ with the Mariners to a 96 OPS+ with the Padres. 2021 was a good year, but only 56 games. He was a 90 OPS+ player in 2022 but still managed a 1.9 WAR through 110 games. Then he fell off a cliff in 2023, hitting just .146/.260/.192 through 52 games, and hasn't been in the majors since.
Dan Altavilla went and threw 8.2 innings with the Padres and did well as he posted a 3.12 ERA. He's been hampered by injuries since, only throwing 5 innings since the start of 2021, giving up seven runs throughout that time.
Lastly, for the Padres at least, is Austin Adams. He only threw four innings in 2020 for the Friars, but had a high-usage 2021 with a career high 52.2 innings, and a 3.89 FIP that was better than his 4.10 ERA. He only threw two innings in 2022 for the Padres, and has spent time with the Diamondbacks and Athletics since.
All in all, that's not great for the Padres. A strong season from Nola and one from Adams, but not nearly what they hoped for, and when you total it up, all they got out of it was a combined WAR of 3.4.
For the Padres, we give this re-grade a D.
We move onto the Mariners to see how they faired, and we will work our way up. I think we have to start with Taylor Trammell here. Once a top 100 prospect, he just hasn't been able to figure it out in the majors with a career line of .167/.260/.363 for a 79 OPS+ through 126 games. He was actually let go from the Mariners and is now playing in the Minors for the Yankees.
Next is Luis Torrens. He had some big moments for the Mariners, and looked like a sneaky piece for the future of the team after hitting .243/.299/.431 with a 102 OPS+ through 108 games in 2021, all while providing nice power with 15 HRs. Then, he forgot how to hit the ball and hit .225/.283/.298 in 2022 through 55 games, and actually didn't hit his first homer until his 43rd game of the season.
We might as well dive into Ty France next. I just don't get this. Maybe it was a confidence thing or injury related or a bit of both, but he went from being a legitimate pick to win the Batting Title to someone who couldn't hit his way out of a paper bag. He hit .302 and .291 his first two seasons with the Mariners, then was hitting .316 through June 23rd in 2022. Since then, he has hit .239/.318/.369. It's even worse over his final 30 games where he hit just .157/.289/.241.
We finally get to the good news as we get to talk about Andres Munoz. He's been stellar for the Mariners, and finally earned the long awaited first All-Star Game invitation here in 2024. Through 157 games with the Mariners, he has a 2.33 ERA, a 2.49 FIP, a 1.047 WHIP, 12.4 K/9, and is in the midst of an insane start to the 2024 season with a miniscule 1.35 ERA while allowing just 5.0 H/9.
Overall, its a 13.2 WAR tally for the Mariners so far. That may not seem like a lot, but France still provided some great seasons, and Munoz is signed through 2025, with three club options after that at $6M, $8M, and $10M, respectively. It's a massive win for the Mariners, and would be considered one even without any of the other players in the deal.
For the Mariners, we give it a B+
If France would've kept hitting like he started, it's an easy A even with Torrens and Trammell being gone. Munoz alone carries enough weigh to make this a big win, which is how we ended up at a B+.
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