LAS VEGAS - The Red Sox have made the first big move when it comes to this offseason, agreeing to terms with postseason hero Jake Bauers on a four-year, $58 million deal. ESPN's Jeff Passan was first to report the deal.
The 31-year-old had a breakout year with the world champion Brewers in 2026, hitting .266 with an .874 OPS, 140 OPS-plus and 26 homers while playing in 144 games. While he did play 46 games in the outfield, Bauers primary position is first base, which he manned in 119 games.
The lefty-hitter's .389 on-base percentage would have led the Red Sox, with the home run total just behind Willson Contreras' team-leading 27 homers. His signature moments in the National League Championshp Series highlighted an ability to make contact, managing a 12-pitch walk against Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and an 11-pitch at-bat that concluded with a decisive home run against Blake Snell, helping secure the NLCS MVP.
Bauers has a 16.3 percent walk rate and rarely chases, going out of the strike zone just 21.7 percent of the time. He also had a .901 OPS against left-handed pitching in 2026.
Depending on how the Red Sox's roster shakes out the rest of the way, Bauers figures to get the majority of his time at designated hitter and first base, perhaps in a rotation with Contreras. The move would seem to squeeze out opportunties for Masa Yoshida.
Bauers did receive a $23.15 qualifying offer from the Brewers, which he will now turn down.
Some other facts about Bauers:
- After hitting .199 in 2024, he called his agent to retire and planned to be a stay-at-home dad. A week later, his wife Lauren found out she was pregnant with their son. In her words, "we do need health insurance." He signed a minor-league deal with Milwaukee as a 29-year-old.
- He entered 2026 with negative career WAR across the Rays, Guardians, Mariners, and Yankees, plus a minor-league stop with the Reds. His 2026 salary was $2.7M.
- He fixed things by thinking less. He was hitting .188 in early September 2025, then decided to stop overanalyzing, moved back in the box, and hit .378 over his last 19 games. His line on it: "I stopped caring about results. I started caring about competing."
More to come ...
