MIAMI — Ty France wore a blue and orange Padres-themed basketball jersey on Friday afternoon.
Instead of his name, “LFGSD” was stitched across the back. The number — 19 — was that of Tony Gwynn, the franchise icon and France’s coach when he played at San Diego State.
France was raised in Orange County, but it seems like he is a San Diegan.
It felt like he came home when he signed a minor-league contract with the Padres in February.
“This is where I wanted to be,” he said then and said again on Friday.
He knows there is a chance he will be leaving again soon.
Those who make such decisions for the Padres remain focused on and hopeful for the possibility they are buyers at the trade deadline, multiple people said Friday. But if things go a different way, France would be an attractive option for a team looking for a first baseman or designated hitter.
Given the fact he entered Friday’s game against the Marlins batting .275 and averaging a home run every 15 at-bats and will be due less than $400,000 for the remainder of the season, France would arguably be the most attractive candidate in a market light on first basemen.
Two people said the overall trade talk between teams is picking up and stressed that predictions would be unreliable at this point because the Padres’ plans are unsettled.
France has been through this enough to not be consumed by it, but this is not an easy time either.
“When you’ve been traded as much as I have,” he said, “it’s hard not to get a little PTSD at this time of year.”
Ty France #25 of the San Diego Padres flips his bat after a home run against the Toronto Blue Jays during the sixth inning at Petco Park on Saturday, July 11, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
A trade before Aug. 3 would be France’s fourth time moving at the deadline.
France was in his second big-league season in 2020 when the Padres sent him to the Mariners at the deadline as part of the package for catcher Austin Nola. After four years in Seattle, a time that included his being an All-Star in 2022, France was traded to the Reds at the deadline in 2024. He signed with the Twins before the ‘25 season and would after the season be named a Gold Glove winner. But before that, he was traded to the Blue Jays in July.
“It’s life-altering,” France said.
Last year was complicated, with two dogs and a young son and a move to a different country.
Having to relocate this year would be even more thorny.
“My wife is almost 30 weeks pregnant with twins,” he said. “So being traded right now would not be the most ideal.”
It is clearly not an experience he relishes. But France is pragmatic as he assesses the path his career has taken.
“The first trade, leaving San Diego, was not something I ever envisioned,” he said. “I was still so young, didn’t really understand the business side of baseball. Very fortunate and grateful for it, because it gave me an opportunity to become the player I am today. I was able to establish myself, become an All-Star. Life happens, baseball happens. Things didn’t end the way I would have liked (in Seattle). But again, the business side of it, and they wanted to go a different route. That gave me an opportunity to go to Minnesota last year, win a Gold Glove. Then I was traded to Toronto, got to play in the World Series. There’s pros and cons to all of it, and here we are today.
“I mean, there’s nothing you can do about it. If you want to be mad and bitter and salty about it, OK. But you’re just wasting your energy.”
San Diego Padres’ Ty France celebrates in the dugout after hitting a solo home run against the Atlanta Braves during the seventh inning of a baseball game, Monday, July 20, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Erik S. Lesser)
Still, France sighs when considering leaving the organization that drafted him a second time.
“This is where we wanted to be for multiple reasons,” he said. “I never felt like my time here was finished when I was traded. I always pictured myself playing for the San Diego Padres for a long time. Now getting that opportunity again, this is where I want to be.”
He gambled on himself, to some extent, by signing with the Padres at the start of spring training when there was no guarantee he would make the roster.
Now, it is difficult to imagine this season without him.
France is arguably the biggest reason they are fostering any hope of remaining relevant in the playoff race. He entered Friday with six home runs in his previous nine games and was batting .323 with an 1.104 OPS in 26 games since June 19. That was the fourth-highest OPS in the major leagues in that span.
As of Friday, his .877 OPS and 139 wRC+ both ranked in the top 20 among players with at least 250 plate appearances this season.
His home run in the eighth inning Thursday was his third this season that got the Padres to within one run. That goes with his five game-tying homers and two that gave the Padres a lead.
“It’s a terrible part of the game, but it’s part of the game,” Fernando Tatis Jr. said. “He has been carrying us offensively. He’s probably been the best offensive player on our team. So it would be a shame if he’s leaving home because he’s playing too good.”