Did we just get gifted Ty France? Mariners put him on waivers.... He has struggled this year but his OPS against lefties is still .750 v Singleton at .552. Singleton is .709 against righties and France .750 against lefties. Seems like an ideal platoon. France, last season was an ops+ of 100. If we could get a league average first baseman for no prospects or significant salary I see no downside. He struggled last year too but had a .718 OPS against lefties still. He's nothing special as a fielder, but has some experience at 2B and 3B in a pinch... I would want him on the roster probably before Aledmys Diaz...
He's not a noticeably better option than Mauricio Dubon vs. lefties, probably worse. If we're gonna upgrade than upgrade, this would be shuffling players. The fact that the worst offense in baseball doesn't really think he can help them anymore doesn't exactly inspire confidence.
They aren’t platooning him... You're also pairing him with Singleton. You want your primary backup at SS and 2B starting against lefties at 1B?
Why not, he isn't glued to first. You can pair Dubon with Singleton. They already have Kessinger doing very little. If the Astros aren't platooning Dubon, why would they waste a whole extra spot on a player who can do even less than him and be worse at it.
Purely from a roster spot, you're deciding between Kessinger, Aledmys, or France. France has most upside. If you still want to platoon dubon, I get the argument... i just prefer him in a sub role over everyday player against lefties. He hits lefties and isn't much of a major league hitter against righties (.644 ops). Part of this is obviously expecting some form of improvement out of France.
So yall want to bring in some rando mostly 1B who is having a bad year and got set free by a playoff chasing team with the hopes of somehow fixing his swing in the playoff stretch? The Astros pitching staff has a better history of "fixing" players than the Astros hitting staff. Put me down as a NO. With Tucker coming back, Loperfido (or Cabbage if still around) could play some first. With Caratini coming back, Caratini (or maybe even Diaz) could play some first.
I like France, but I'm not sure at this point he's an upgrade over Singleton. Would he help as a platoon guy? Probably With this said, Brown said he was going big game hunting at the deadline. so I see France as a fallback option.
I think the most they offer is a minor league deal with an out. He's not deserving of a ML roster spot at this point. Give him a week in complex ball, 3 weeks at AAA and see what he has left.
(he has to clear waivers first... and then request FA, no? otherwise they assign him to the minors?... I know the waivers vs DFA rules changed since they no longer do the other deadline).
I'm not expecting miracle here. I think he would help at a cost of virtually nothing. If he doesn't, you cut him or leave him off the playoff roster.
France isn't the answer. Singleton has been perfectly fine (110 w/RC+ since Abreu was released). I still think this team needs another big bat and 1b is the logical place for it. And signing France to a AAA deal, letting him play in Sugar Land and compete for a spot next year would be very smart. But bringing in a bat needs to be a clear upgrade, not a reclamation project during a post season run.
Correct. I'd be very surprised if teams were lining up to pay ~$3m and burn a roster spot for him right now. I'd also be kind of surprised if he cleared waivers and didn't opt out, as the Mariners are nose diving and they've already announced they're giving his spot to a prospect. Abreu's fall off followed standard aging curves. Bat speed normally disappears in the mid-30's and that's pretty much what happened. Ty France going from an all-star at age 28 to waived at age 30 (well within his physical prime) is way more shocking.
I’m curious as to why they cut them. His OPS is third or fourth best on the team for qualified players. His batting average is actually above the team average I’m not saying he’s having a great season. it’s just surprising they cut him in a season where they are such a bad offensive team. Could it be some sort of salary dump? I thought waved players still got paid by the team minus the minimum from any team that picks them up
That's more of a DFA arrangement. If they get claimed off waivers, the team claiming them assumes all remaining salary. That begs the question as to why any team would actually claim any of these guys... and I guess that has more to do with possible playoff eligibility.
If this was football and he was bringing his playbook, then yes. If Dana thinks a change of scenery will help, then also, yes.
