Rangers sign former Twins infielder Jonah Bride to minor league deal following shocking Marcus Semien-Brandon Nimmo trade with Mets
Following the shocking Marcus Semien trade, the Texas Rangers have added infield depth by signing journeyman infielder Jonah Bride to a minor league contract with an invitation to major league camp, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan. Bride can play first, second and third base.
Bride, 29, struggled significantly this past season. After hitting just .100 through 12 games, the Marlins designated Bride for assignment, then traded him to the Minnesota Twins in exchange for cash. At the time, the Twins desperately needed help after being dealt a brutal hamstring injury to outfielder Matt Wallner.
However, the Twins would have probably been better off promoting a player from the minor leagues rather than trading for Bride. In 80 plate appearances across 33 games with the Twins, Bride hit .208/.275/.236 (44 OPS+) with no homers, two doubles and three RBI.
The Twins designated Bride for assignment on July 1. Minnesota sent him outright to Triple-A St. Paul after he cleared waivers. He hit .281/.423/.453 in 43 games with the Twins' Triple-A affiliate.
Bride made his MLB debut in 2022 with the Oakland Athletics. He played in 98 games over parts of two seasons with Oakland, slashing .192/.296/.232 (57 OPS+) with one homer and 13 RBI.
The Athletics designated Bride for assignment in Feb. 2024, then traded him to the Miami Marlins in exchange for cash. Bride had the best season of his MLB career with Miami in 2024, slashing .276/.357/.461 (125 OPS+) with 11 home runs and 39 RBI over 71 games under new Rangers manager Skip Schumaker. One has to wonder if Shumaker played a part in the Rangers acquiring Bride, given the familiarity between the two.
Rangers fans might remember Bride as a pitcher; the journeyman infielder made four pitching appearances, two in one series against the Rangers at Target Field in June, for the Twins in 2025. Five days after allowing two runs in two innings against the Athletics in Sacramento, Bride threw a scoreless inning against the Rangers. Two days after that, Bride surrendered three earned runs in two innings against Texas. His last pitching appearance came against the Milwaukee Brewers about a week later, where he allowed five runs in one inning.
Bride isn't expected to start for the Rangers, and he may not even have a spot on the 26-man roster. But with Semien now gone, the team may want an experienced infielder to help mentor the younger players and play when needed.