When speaking to the media earlier this week, David Stearns identified first base as an area the Mets would look to upgrade, either with a full-time player or a platoon partner for Jared Young. Since then, two names have popped up as potential fits for that role: Alec Bohm and Ty France.
France is coming off the best offensive year of his career after some time spent in the wilderness. After a strong start to his career, including an All-Star appearance in 2022, France hit the skids with authority.
After signing with the Mariners for a $6.68 million deal ahead of the 2024 season, he was placed on outright waivers in July, putting up -0.2 bWAR. He continued to struggle with the Reds, with whom he signed for the remainder of that season. After a slightly better season in 2025 split between the Twins and Blue Jays, France returned to the club he broke in with, the Padres, on a minor league deal and put up one of the best years of his career.
In 2026, France batted .295/.363/.502 with 21 home runs and 24 doubles. France is entering his age 32 season, and will likely be riding that to the biggest payday of his career.
Bohm is in a very different situation, having lost most of the luster on what was once a solid, if unspectacular, big league career with the Phillies. Bohm’s 2026 line of .249/.315/.383 with 15 home runs looks miraculous when compared to his early season struggles, where he carried a .433 OPS through the first six weeks of the season.
Bohm is also not a natural first baseman, though calling him natural at any position is somewhat misleading. However, compared to his butchery at third base, first base for Bohm makes a lot of sense. Bohm logged 424.2 innings at first base in 2026, committing six errors and putting up one Defensive Runs Saved Above Average.
Either of these players would be competing with the aforementioned Jared Young, who impressed on both sides of the ball in his extended look last season due to the departure of Pete Alonso and the non-entity that was Jorge Polanco. Young batted .266/.330/.429 while playing 641.2 innings at first.
There’s an outside chance that Polanco would get another crack at first base, but it seems like DH or bust for Polanco in 2027.
