The Mariners’ roster got a major shakeup today, with the club announcing a huge slate of moves. First baseman Ty France was designated for assignment while shortstop J.P. Crawford and outfielder Julio Rodríguez each landed on the 10-day injured list. Crawford has a right hand fracture while Rodríguez has a right high ankle sprain. In corresponding moves, the club recalled infielders Tyler Locklear, Leo Rivas and outfielder Cade Marlowe.
The writing seemed to be on the wall for France a few days ago. Seattle placed the 2022 All-Star on outright waivers earlier this week in hopes that another club would claim the remainder of his $6.775MM salary. Earlier today, Chris Cotillo of MassLive reported on X that France had gone unclaimed on waivers.
The Mariners didn’t have to outright France to a minor league affiliate — they could have simply decided to keep him on the roster, as the Blue Jays did with Kevin Kiermaier earlier this month when he also cleared waivers — but it seems they are committed to moving on.
Now that he’s been designated for assignment, he’s off the 40-man roster and they will technically have some time to explore trade scenarios. With France clearing waivers, the M’s at least know that they can’t just get rid of his salary, though they could perhaps eat some of that as a means of facilitating a deal. France has enough service time to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency while retaining the remainder of his salary, so he’ll likely end up released if no trade is worked out in the coming days.
From 2020-22, the thought of placing France on waivers would’ve seemed silly. The former Padres prospect went from San Diego to Seattle as part of the Austin Nola trade at the 2020 deadline and posted a terrific .284/.354/.441 slash (127 wRC+) with 40 homers, 64 doubles and three triples. France had posted strong offense throughout his minor league tenure but drew concern from scouts about his lack of an obvious defensive home. He worked himself into a fine defender at first base though, posting average or better marks there up until an across-the-board decline this season.
France’s glove isn’t the only thing that’s taken a step back. He was barely a league-average hitter in 2023 and has seen his production dwindle further in 2024. Over his past 1005 big league plate appearances, he’s posted a punchless .241/.328/.361 slash. France is still getting on base at a decent clip, but his strikeout rate has spiked from 16.4% (2020-22) to 24.4% in 2024. This year’s 19.7% line-drive rate is a personal low, and France’s 46.3% grounder rate is the second-highest mark of his career. For a player whose average sprint speed ranks in the seventh percentile of MLB hitters (via Statcast), an uptick in grounders is particularly problematic.
Though his recent play hasn’t been up to his prior standards, France has plenty of track record. He’s been a solid right-handed bat who’s primarily played first base in the majors but has dabbled at the opposite infield corner and at second base as well. If he ends up released, a new team could sign France and would only owe him the prorated league minimum for any time spent on the big league roster, as the Mariners will remain on the hook for the rest of this year’s salary.
France would also be controllable for a new club through the 2025 campaign. He opened the current season with 4.089 years of MLB service and has already added another 117 days. That’ll push him to five-plus years. A new team could go through the arbitration process with him this offseason, or they could push for a more palatable club option to be tacked on, as the Tigers did with Carson Kelly last August following his release with the D-backs.
Crawford was hit by a pitch on the hand in last night’s game and suffered a fracture. Rodríguez collided with the outfield wall on Sunday while attempting to make a catch and was visibly injured, with video relayed on X by Fox Sports MLB.
It’s unclear how long the Mariners expect to be without those two players, but they are notable blows for a club that has already been plummeting of late. Just over a month ago, the club had a ten-game lead in the American League West. But some poor play from Seattle combined with a hot streak from the Astros now have the M’s percentage points behind Houston and also 3.5 games back of a Wild Card spot.
The timing of the injuries is not only unfortunate for that reason but also because Rodríguez was starting to heat up after a rough first half. He was hitting just .247/.297/.327 for a wRC+ of 83 through the end of June but had slashed .375/.434/.688 since the calendar flipped to July. That resurgence will now have to be put on hold for as long as he’s out.
Crawford has been scuffling this year as well, though luck could be a big factor there. He is slashing .204/.299/.347 on the year but his .243 batting average is well below his .293 career rate and the .289 league average in 2024. That has dragged his offense from last year’s 134 wRC+ to 90 this year, though he’s still been able to contribute by stealing five bases and providing above average shortstop defense. Ideally, his luck would have evened out in time but he won’t have that opportunity for as long as he’s on the IL.
The M’s will now have to try to pull themselves out of this tailspin without contributions from France, Crawford or Rodríguez. Locklear is covering first base today and could get some regular run there going forward, with Jason Vosler perhaps factoring in as well. Utility player Dylan Moore is at shortstop in tonight’s lineup and may be the regular there, with Rivas backing him up. Víctor Robles is in center field and figures to be joined in the club’s outfield mix by Canzone, Luke Raley, Mitch Haniger and Jonatan Clase.
With the trade deadline now just a week away, the Mariners figure to be looking for more offense in general and it’s been reported that they will be aggressive in doing so. At this point, there’s nothing to suggest that either Crawford or Rodríguez is facing a significant absence but it nonetheless could heighten the club’s focus on adding a bat or two. The Mariners are hitting a collective .217/.298/.364 this year for a 93 wRC+, which places them 22nd in the league.
In a normal year this would be a season killer. But this year…. none of these guys can hit anyway
Its not fair to lump Julio in with “everyone else” on the roster. He is an average hitter. 101 wRC+. This is his worst year thus far and has looked “terrible” by Julio standards. So yes, he is not doing great like always, but he is not terrible and cannot hit like some of the other players on this roster.
Agreed. Plus, his defense in CF is fantastic.
Relative to expectations Rodriguez is a huge disappointment.
Julio’s July has been more in line with his first two seasons, so this is a huge loss for Seattle, even if it’s just 10 days.
Nationals fans greatly note the irony of Victor Robles experiencing any kind of uptick in prominence with these developments.
When’s the Kraken’s season start?
Buoy Ya!
When does Seahawk training camp start?
We always the Huskies going for that Pac 12 championship..oh wait.
Which contract will end up worse, Julio Rodriguez or Jackson churio?
Man if j rod stays like this for his career that would be a horrible contract
At least it has a ton of opt outs
The adjustments in season he eventually makes later in the season do become successful and are meaningful; however, there haven’t been successful adjustments to his game during the offseason.
One area with bleakness has been expansion of his zone. This should’ve been an area of weakness he should’ve been closing. Instead its become his Achilles heel.
I think Chourio, because of Julio’s size and power while still demonstrating plus plus defense, it’s a generational combo. But they’ll both be well above average return on investment for the teams that have them. The pre-arbitration contracts are strategically deflated to figure in for development and injury, since the teams have the leverage of years of salary control to bargain with. If you get a deeply pre-arbitration all-star in your system, you make these 8 and 10 year depressed contract offers 100 times out of 100. Conversely, look at what the Padres are paying Tatis to play 80 games a year. Everyone can get injured, so take the discount, and pray for health
What about Corbin Carroll?
What about everyone that has an expensive contract that is underperforming?
Chourio has been hitting well since start of June. Not surprised he struggled his first 2 months as a 20 year old.
Unfortunate injury timing compounded with underperformance. Rough times for Mariners fans indeed. Hopefully your trade deadline brings a few nice bats back for a serious run at the playoffs.
Honestly, the only injury of consequence is Julio. And hopefully he’ll he back after the 10 days. But the rest of the roster is so bad, idk that we would see anything difference from the AAA roster coming up to replace them all. They have been that bad, especially of late.
True on all accounts I suppose. Their deadline outlook will look alot like the Rangers I imagine. That is, in the sense that their position as buyers/sellers will depend on how they play in the next 4-5 days.
If the trades don’t include a properly angled batter’s eye, will it matter?
Seattle looking more and more as sellers. I’d hate to see them give up top prospects to miss out on the playoffs by a game yet again.
Last year they traded FOR prospects and gave up big league talent to miss the playoffs by a game. Very different situation.
Indeed, Blackpink. This is what happens when you can’t sign the best free agents for two off-seasons in a row. But this has to be make-or-break for this ownership group and front office (and the most profitable team in MLB) to prove their commitment to winning a World Series. Purge the farm and get the best batters and relievers out there. Don’t strain your eyes looking at a prospect and assuming he’s the next unicorn. And don’t sign another guy on the downside of his career thinking he’ll bounce back in a cavernous ballpark. Finally, this off-season, build an innovative retractable fence system (like the roof) that moves in by 10 feet from March to May and after Labor Day to account for the worst of the marine layer. Then show FA hitters how much better their life is going to be. T-Mobile drove away Junior back in the day. Maybe a smaller version will draw some guys back.
How about dont purge the farm but at the same time make prospects except cole young colt Emerson laz Montes and Celesten available
We don’t want to be the angels or padres now…
No, I mean purge the farm for the right price. Obviously, those guys will require better major league return. But honestly, both the Padres and the Angels have made the WS (and the Angels won one), so I’d rather be them than us.
Who would they sell?
Haniger? Garver? Polanco? Good luck! They players they want to keep are controllable.
You can bet they tried to shop France before they put him on waivers.
A game out of first place and they’re going to be sellers???
At least you showed you don’t know much about baseball
They’re actually tied for first.
Apparently you don’t know this team very well…the front office rarely makes meaningful acquisitions, so yeah they’re sellers, before they reach the cellar.
They probably won’t do anything with giving up prospects. They’ll just flame out, like the dumpster fire their lineup is.
Locklear is the only one of those 3 that can hit.
I was hoping SEA would have called up Ryan Bliss to replace Crawford, but he was just sent down yesterday. Is there a rule that he has to stay down a certain # of days before he can be recalled again?
(Asking for selfish reasons, he’s on my fantasy team and I need the steals!)
There’s a 10 day minimum for position players. But it’s waived if they need to be called back up as an injury replacement.
He has to stay down for a minimum of 10 days. However, he is eligible to be immediately recalled if he is replacing a player that was placed on the IL.
Moore is going to take SS while JP is out and they want a better defensive option if they need one. Rivas is the better defensive SS.
It’s not about the rules, as others have already explained. It’s about defense.
I’m glad to see Marlowe back into the big leagues, he is unfazed and performed well in clutch situations last season
He had a really good sophomore season in addition to his RoY finish
He’s already started turning it around and is now an above league average hitter this season so maybe 2.1 year wonder. And we can check back at the end of the year and see if he’s a 2.5 year wonder, which he very well might be considering his 2nd halves of both the previous two seasons have been better than his 1st halves.
Um, talk about burying the lede… the M’s just lost J-Rod for at least 2-3 weeks!!! France wasn’t doing anything so it’s not like his absence in the lineup will have a huge effect. J-Rod is the best player on the team, and now he’s out. I could see Trader Jerry go either way at this point: either make an all-out attempt to salvage the season or try to get what he can for the assets he doesn’t want for next year.
Paul Dejong would be a great fit in Seattle.
That’s what Toronto thought last year when bichette went down
He didn’t even last a month in Toronto after the trade
What a tough situation for the M’s. One that the field players/hitters on this team have put them in. Before Julio and JP went down they needed at least two bats, if not more. With so many teams in the Wild card mix, there may not be many hitters that can make a difference available and now with the team struggling worst then ever, is it worth it to go and trade top prospects? Maybe only for controllable players that they will have next year? If they feel that they are not good enough and cannot get the bats to get this done and do not make a difference making trade, I am concerned that the fanbase is going to again accuse them of not caring enough, not wiling to spend money, The Free Agent market for hitters in 2025 is not great, I do like Santander, Alonso, Adames, Kim and a few others but can they get them to even come play at T Mobile Park? Man this is getting ugly….Please, Please everyone get hot at the plate at the same time, starting tonight! Your schedule is as get as it gets going forward.
What makes me angry as a mariners fan is that money matters more than winning
How come we have had a higher payroll in rebuilding seasons than contending seasons like today?
That is why I am a Yankee fan that lives in Seattle. A team that is top 10 in revenue and bottom 10 in spending is not a team I will support.
I’d rather die suffering from a cheap owner than take the easy way out and root for the Yankees!
GO Ms!
Not me. I like that my team tries to win. It makes watching baseball fun. It sucks knowing that no matter how hard I “root”, ownership does not prioritize winning. It is a shame that the fans and players want to win, but ownership couldn’t give a flying Wallenda. Go M’s!
They’re more like 17th in spending. Which is still lame and not worthy of support.
I think with a little hard work at the trade deadline, they can get into the low to mid 20s!
JP hasn’t been anything special by a long way this year.
Another loss for the “I guarantee he won’t make it through waivers” crowd.
Sell the team Stanton!!
I agree C Us
Edwin Rios?
your chat bot code needs some debugging.
I asked, liar.
Bootie isn’t a word
These Mariners are sunk!
M’s front office were already looking for excuses to sell. They definitely will not buy if they continue to play like this. Yet another year of the core wasted.
Time to DFA Scott Servais and Jerry Dipoto. This major league lineup is embarrassing. Too bad John Stanton and the rest of the ownership group is asleep at the wheel.
SELL THE TEAM
Absolutely agree with your comments. Ownership needs to quit leading the fan base on like they care. They’re cheap, only care about their profits, and winning is NOT a priority. Sell the team Stanton!!
J-Rod has been extremely disappointing this year. The Mariners are sinking fast as the Rangers and Astros are gaining ground while the Mariners stumble.
Is it time for Seattle to hit the Reset button? Or will they go all in?
What do you think we could get for Castillo and Woo or Miller? That would leave us with 3 strong starters and give us a haul of major league ready offense.
Cade Marlowe striking out damn near a third of the time in the PCL. Yikes. Sure to fit right in.
If he elects free agency and the Mariners are on the hook for the rest of the deal, the Nats should sign France. Meneses is basically done, so the only 1B they have is former Cardinal Juan Yepez. Their 1B prospect Yohandy Morales has been on the IL in AA since May. He’s not going to be a factor until 2026 at least.
If France can figure out and fix what went wrong, great. If not, they’re only on the hook for the prorated minimum.
Just curious….would you M’s fans trade Julio R for Elly dela cruz? Im a Reds fan.
M’s fan here. I think they are both studs. Elly is the more exciting player for sure but I’m very happy Julio will likely spend his whole career or at least his prime in Seattle. So much exciting young talent in the league right now!
3 years ago, Ty France is the 2nd coming. Today, he is tossed aside like yesterdays news.
France out, Nola also done.
Saw the game tonight. This, at the moment, is a team full of Felix Hernandezes. One bad inning and you’re done. Plus, the defense was like a Little League game. Who tackles a runner rounding third? Whose throws from third were adventures every play? And that’s a starter! Front office has known about the hitting problems since April and still isn’t budging. They got me again. It’s all Lucy pulling the football. And the greatest rotation this team has ever seen will finish third, unless some major risk (purging the prospects for major league hitters) happens now.
Note: Texas, as bad as they’ve been, is 3 games back.