The Boston Red Sox have been searching for a power bat since the offseason started.
They landed on one rather quickly.
According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the Red Sox have signed former Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Jake Bauers to a four-year, $58 million contract.
This is Boston’s first big offseason splash, and one of the first in MLB as we approach the Dec. 1 lockout.
Bauers slashed .266/.389/.484 in 2026, leading the World Series Champion Brewers with 26 home runs.
The Brewers previously extended a qualifying offer to Bauers after the World Series so the Red Sox will forfeit a draft pick.
What Will Bauers Bring to the Boston Red Sox?
Bauers’ career trajectory is a fascinating case study. One of perseverance and strife.
The San Diego Padres drafted Bauers in the seventh round of the 2013 MLB Draft out of high school. The Padres subsequently traded Bauers to the Tampa Bay Rays in a three-team trade that sent Wil Myers to the Padres and Trea Turner to the Washington Nationals, among others.
Bauers was on the transaction log quite a few more times, jumping from the Rays to the Cleveland Guardians, to the Seattle Mariners, to the New York Yankees, finally settling with the Brewers.
He didn’t enjoy a breakout season of 20 or more home runs or an OPS above .800 until his magical 2026 season. The Red Sox are hoping he can now build off that and bring his power to Fenway Park.
The Red Sox badly needed offensive help this offseason, and they will get it in the power-hitting Bauers, who also finished second in the NL in on-base percentage. Rather than settling for a one-year, $23.15 million qualifying offer with the Brewers, he went for a multi-year deal with Boston entering his age-31 season.
How Will Bauers Fit on the Team?
The power-hitting first baseman adds a different dimension to the Red Sox, who lacked a true power hitter. In 2026, Boston finished 26th in home runs with 163 home runs. That’s just not enough in today’s game.
But Bauers is a first baseman, and the Red Sox already have a star in Willson Contreras. So, where does Bauers fit?
While Bauers was one of the top offensive first basemen in baseball during 2026, he struggled defensively with -7 Outs Above Average, per Baseball Savant.
Contreras was much better with a +1 OAA. You have to keep both bats in the lineup, so the best course of action would be to put Bauers at designated hitter.
This would likely displace Masataka Yoshida, which was likely to happen without this signing. Roman Anthony will likely go to left field now, with Jarren Duran trade rumors heating up.
This is certainly a splash move from Boston, and it might not be the last before the lockout. Hopefully, this accelerates free agency, and we see a few more big moves before Dec. 1.
Boston Red Sox Sign Power-Hitting NLCS MVP to 4-Year Deal