First baseman Jake Bauers and the Boston Red Sox are in agreement on a four-year, $58 million contract, sources told ESPN, uniting the World Series champion with a Boston team that entered the winter looking to upgrade its offense.
Bauers, 31, was one of the Milwaukee Brewers’ postseason heroes, capping a breakout season in which he rose from journeyman to one the top hitters in the major leagues.
While Boston has first baseman Willson Contreras under contract for one more season and intends to keep him, Bauers provides an on-base threat with power who can also help fill a hole at designated hitter.
Multiple executives expected Bauers to accept the $23.15 million qualifying offer from the Brewers -- more than nine times what he made in 2026 -- but Boston swooped in and locked him up with the first long-term deal of his career. Because the deal went for more than $50 million and the Brewers are revenue-sharing recipients, they will receive a compensatory draft pick between the end of the first round and Competitive Balance Round A.
The Red Sox’s offense ranked 23rd in runs scored this year, in line with an expected weighted on-base average that was 22nd in baseball, and while they made the postseason for the second consecutive season, the Red Sox mustered just two runs in a two-game wild card series sweep by the New York Yankees.
Boston anticipated offensive improvement in 2027 with a healthy Roman Anthony and Curtis Mead, two players whose injuries limited their contributions this season, plus the potential arrival of shortstop Franklin Arias, one of the best prospects in baseball. Adding Bauers should only help.
After finishing one point shy of the National League on-base percentage title, Bauers showcased his keen plate discipline with a pair of epic plate appearances against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series. earning MVP honors while hitting .286 with six RBIs in the four-game sweep.
In Game 2, he worked Yoshinobu Yamamoto for a memorable 12-pitch walk to load the bases in the third inning. Christian Yelich then followed with a go-ahead two-run single, knocking Yamamoto out of the game. In Game 3, Bauers delivered one of the biggest hits of the postseason, belting a 412-foot go-ahead two-run home run in the seventh inning off Blake Snell on the 11th pitch of the at-bat.
Bauers set career highs this season, batting .266/.389/.484 with a team-high 26 home runs and 86 RBIs while ranking third in MLB in on-base percentage and sixth in wOBA. He also established career bests in hits (127), runs (93), walks (94), OPS (.874) and extra-base hits (50).
He was a finalist for the Silver Slugger Award among NL first basemen and NL utility players, as he also played at the corner outfield positions in 46 games this season.
It was an impressive showing for a player who nearly retired after 2024.
Bauers entered the 2026 season with minus-1.2 career WAR, having played for the Tampa Bay Rays, Cleveland Guardians, Seattle Mariners and New York Yankees in his major league career - plus a minor-league stint with the Cincinnati Reds -- before landing with the Brewers in 2024. But he hit just .199 and contemplated retiring after the Brewers nontendered him following the season.
After learning his wife, Lauren, was pregnant with their second child, he needed health insurance and signed a minor-league deal with the Brewers, making the team in 2025 out of spring training. He was still hitting under .188 in early September, however, when he made sudden decision to stop overanalyzing his approach and, in his words, become more present in the moment. He hit .378 over his final 19 games and carried the new mindset into 2026.
While it is unusual for a 30-year-old to have a breakout season, Bauers’ Statcast numbers suggest his results were sustainable, with a 94th percentile hard-hit rate, 93rd percentile bat speed, 93rd percentile chase rate and 98th percentile walk rate. The left-handed batter even hit lefties well at .267/.375/.526 and by the postseason was no longer being platooned at first base.
ESPN’s David Schoenfield contributed to this report.