Why Mets Should Pursue Ty France in Free Agency to Fix First Base Issue

The New York Mets' plan at first base backfired badly this season.

After letting homegrown talent and franchise home-run leader Pete Alonso depart in free agency, the Mets took a very different route to fill the void at the position, signing veteran infielder Jorge Polanco to a two-year, $40 million deal.

Before this season started, Polanco had never played first base in his career and also came with a concerning injury history. Those injury concerns quickly became a reality for New York this year and were one reason they fell well short of expectations.

The 33-year-old appeared in just 37 games for the Mets this season due to left ankle bursitis. Although Polanco tried to play through his injury and eventually returned to a limited DH role, the veteran ultimately underwent season-ending left ankle surgery. In those 37 games, Polanco batted .148/.201/.230 with just two home runs and six RBI.

The Mets rotated several players at first base, including Brett Baty, Mark Vientos, Eric Wagaman, Jared Young, and Christopher Morel. Since that is not a sustainable formula for an entire season, the Amazins should consider pursuing pending free agent first baseman Ty France.

What does Ty France bring to the table and how it could help the Mets?

France spent this season with the San Diego Padres after signing a minor league deal last offseason. San Diego's low-risk, high-reward move to add France paid off.

The 32-year-old slashed .295/.363/.502 with a career-high 21 home runs, 72 RBI, and led the Padres with an .865 OPS. France's huge season at the plate was an even bigger boost for the Padres during the regular season after their two superstars, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado, got off to dismal starts.

To put those numbers into perspective, the Mets had a total of 23 home runs and 85 RBI across Vientos, Young and Morel at first base this year.

France also excelled against both left-handed and right-handed pitching for the Padres this season, batting .288 in 118 at-bats against lefties and .298 in 322 at-bats against righties.

And where the Mets have notoriously struggled for multiple seasons, France batted an impressive .292 with runners in scoring position for the Friars during the regular season, while also posting a .491 slugging percentage and an .857 OPS.

The Mets would certainly take a hitter like France, who came through in scoring opportunities, especially after the Amazins batted just .239 with runners in scoring position this season.

France's defense was also another bonus for the Padres. He made three errors during the regular season and was recently named a finalist for the Gold Glove Award for a second year in a row, after winning his first last season with the Toronto Blue Jays.

While he wasn't the only reason, France certainly helped the Padres reach the postseason for a third straight season. And goes without saying that the Mets could've used a first baseman who was productive offensively and defensively during their disappointing season.

The Mets absolutely cannot afford to go through another year having a rotating amount of players at first base.

Even though there are plenty of holes on this Mets team that must be addressed, adding a first baseman like Ty France could be a solid offseason addition.

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