🚨 JUST IN: The Rangers’ continued pursuit of former A’s signals a much bigger competitive plan than they’re letting on ⚡ .MH
Skip Schumaker was his manager when he put together his best season
After trading former A’s shortstop Marcus Semien earlier this week, and designating former A’s backup catcher Jonah Bride for assignment last week, the Texas Rangers have re-upped their inventory of former A’s (and Jonahs) with the addition of Jonah Bride on a minor-league deal.
While players like Bride do not typically get the attention of ESPN’s Jeff Passan, he broke the news on this signing, and brought up an interesting point that his former manager with the Miami Marlins, Skip Schumaker, is now the manager of the Rangers.
When Stephen Vogt was named the manager of the Cleveland Guardians in November of 2023, the franchise claimed his former teammate in Oakland, Christian Bethancourt, off waivers, and then a week later brought in another former Vogt teammate in Adam Oller, who he had caught in Oakland. Sometimes manager have guys that they gravitate to.
Bride was selected by the A’s in the 23rd round of the 2018 MLB Draft out of South Carolina, and he ended up making his MLB debut in 2022 with the green and gold. He played 98 games with the A’s between the 2022-23 seasons, and hit just one home run while batting .192 with a .296 OBP.
His greatest strength is his ability to get on base at a decent clip. The trick for him has been getting enough hits for that OBP to matter.
The A’s designated Bride for assignment in 2024, and he was subsequently traded to the Marlins for cash days later. That year with Miami (and Schumaker) was the best of Bride’s career. He played in a career-high 71 games, batting .276 with a .357 OBP and a 125 OPS+ (100 is league average). He was also moving around the infield playing games at first base (38), DH (19), third base (13) and second (3).
This past season, without Schumaker in Miami, didn’t go nearly as well. He began the year 4-for-40 (.100) and was swiftly DFA’d on April 15.
The Minnesota Twins picked him up in a trade with the Marlins after third baseman Jose Miranda landed on the IL. He would end up sticking with the club through June, and was DFA’d again when Royce Lewis was activated from the IL at the beginning of July.
Bride fared a little better with the Twins, batting .208 with a .275 on-base. Outside of his time with Skip Schumaker, he has hit all of one home run. In that season with the Marlins he hit 11. This is an addition that in all likelihood will end up meaning nothing to the Rangers. Yet, there is a chance that Schumaker is the Jonah Bride whisperer, and this could turn into a steal of an addition.
With Bride now in the organization, there is a chance that he joins more recent former A’s Willie MacIver and Michel Otañez on the Rangers roster next season.
