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Who Is John Galt Jonah Bride?
A Milwaukee native, Bride was originally a 23rd-round Oakland draftee in 2018, back when one could still be such a thing. Once a catching prospect, the University of South Carolina product journeyed deeper into the infield when his catching acumen proved detrimental; he has only played 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in the majors. He debuted in 2022 before trekking to Miami before the 2024 season, in which he slashed .276/.357/.461 across 272 plate appearances.
Eric Longenhagen of Fangraphs last wrote about Bride in 2022, in which he had this to say about him:
Why Jonah Bride?
Twins players are dropping like flies. Edouard Julien probably pulled a groin while you read this article. It’s doubtful that Bride is any sort of long-term answer or pet project for the team; they need warm major-league bodies and they need them now. Matt Wallner will head to the IL, and the statuses of Willi Castro and Carlos Correa are currently unknown. St. Paul Saint Ryan Fitzgerald appears a prime candidate to replace one of them, but he is just one man.
Bride seems likely to play 3rd, where he was once worth 3 Statcast Outs Above Average in a limited sample in 2023. 2nd base is also an option.
This is also some Sicko Stuff, because who was watching a Twins-Marlins series late in 2024, when the team’s collapse was nearly complete, but you may remember Bride because, across three games in Target Field, he slashed .429/.400/.786 with a home run and two doubles. Maybe he’s secretly Edwin Encarnación 2.0.
Bride was DFA'd on the 15th. Minnesota is sending cash to complete the deal.
What happens going forward?
Fortunately, Minnesota has an off-day on the 17th to figure out their moves before starting a series on the 18th with the Atlanta Braves. Bride is the first of what could be two more moves: Correa and Castro. Correa is suffering from wrist soreness, apparently a malady that affected him since Spring Training, and he didn't start in Wednesday's affair, although he did enter the game as a defensive replacement. He never took an at-bat.
Castro exited early Wednesday with "mild right oblique tightness," a choice that Rocco Baldelli described as "precautionary." Currently, that wonderfully vague term is all we have to understand the nature of Castro's injury.
Of course, the situation is augmented by the recent news that José Miranda landed on the minor league IL because of an incident at Target that involved a dropped case of water. Tremendous stuff.
Assuming Castro and Correa are both incapacitated, Brooks Lee becomes the obvious starter at shortstop, with calling up a minor leaguer like the aforementioned Fitzgerald a logical move. That would create a Bride-Lee-Julien-France infield with Mickey Gasper filling in when needed. Not ideal, certainly, but hopefully it would only be for a short period of time.
But, who knows? The esoteric nature of Castro and Correa's injuries leave room for pure speculation, yet nothing solid. If one or both players are closer to fine, then life for the Twins looks a lot easier. Hell, even just one of them being ready to go renders the previous paragraph something of a worst case scenario. As of now, we understand little, but, after acquiring Bride, their depth nonetheless appears better than it was before.
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