Ty France connected to AL Central club

We all knew the Mariners would shop veteran slugger Teoscar Hernandez this deadline. The expiring contract and the poor fit with the team’s “dominate the zone” philosophy are two key reasons he’s on the market. However, no one saw first baseman Ty France mentioned in the same sentence on their BINGO card.

Except for MLB insider Jon Morosi, who tends to have the first word on many of these deadline deals. There are some intriguing bats and starters on the Twins roster. The current American League Central leaders have six quality starters, which the Mariners will need as they manage Bryan Woo and Bryce Miller’s workloads. Names to watch are Sonny Gray, Kenta Maeda, and Dallas Kuechel. 

The position player fits include second baseman Jorge Polanco, first baseman Matt Wallner, and outfielder Max Kepler. Each player has solid approaches that lean toward the Mariners’ organizational model. Of all those players, Wallner seems like the one to watch. He immediately slots into France’s spot in the field and the lineup. 

Even though the 2022 All-Star is suffering a brutal season, the price should remain high because he’s controlled through 2026. The 25-year-old Wallner will enter his second pre-arbitration season in 2024. He comes with five years of control.  

Adding more fuel to the fire, Ty Dane Gonzalez from the Locked-On network confirmed that Tacoma Rainiers’ slugger Jake Scheiner didn’t travel with the team. President of Baseball Operations, Jerry Dipoto, is probably holding him back in case of a Ty France blockbuster. There are more than two hours left until the deadline; we’ll see what happens next.