On Tuesday, the New York Yankees claimed left-handed pitcher Brent Headrick off waivers from the Minnesota Twins after they attempted to remove him from the 40-man roster.
The corresponding roster move came later when Phil Miller of the Minnesota Star Tribune reported the Twins signed first baseman Ty France to a one-year deal, pending a physical.
Twins have signed former Mariners All-Star IF (mostly 1B) Ty France to a one-year contract. Pending physical. Takes Headrick’s roster spot, and is an interesting addition to 1B mix. .813 OPS in 2021.
— Phil Miller (@MillerStrib) February 11, 2025
The move comes amid questions about who will play first base for the club in 2025. In 2022 with the Mariners, France slashed .274/.338/.436 with a 125 OPS+ in a year where he was selected to his first All-Star game.
France, a below-average defender, will look to fill the offensive gap veteran Carlos Santana leaves as he joins the Cleveland Guardians. Fangraphs has France projected to post a 109 wRC+ in 2025.
France has played second and third base throughout his career, so it's easy to see the team using him as a depth piece, too.
After the additions of Harrison Bader and Danny Coloumbe, the Twins seem comfortable expanding the budget further than originally anticipated.