The Milwaukee Brewers seemed to know that Jake Bauers would likely leave them in free agency. A video of manager Pat Murphy talking to Bauers on the field after winning the World Series even captured him joking about Bauers going to the New York Yankees.
Bauers did indeed sign in the AL East Division in free agency, but with the Boston Red Sox.
The Brewers trusted Bauers in a big way in their magical 2026 season. He was the NLCS MVP, and he went on to catch the final out of the World Series, the first in franchise history.
Bauers signed with the Red Sox for four years and $58 million, apparently more than the Brewers considered paying him.
It’s a milestone contract for Bauers, who is only a couple years away from his past consideration of retirement, but it’s a bummer for the Brewers to lose a key piece so quickly this offseason.
The cupboard isn’t bare in Milwaukee, though. They have some potential options to replace Bauers.
Jake Bauers Replacements
The Brewers have two obvious in-house replacement possibilities, named in a new article by The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon.
The first is Andrew Vaughn, another former top prospect who didn’t really break out until coming to Milwaukee.
Vaughn had a better 2025 than 2026 but is a slugging right-handed bat who has proven his ability.
“The Brewers could retain Andrew Vaughn, a right-handed hitter who FanGraphs projects to earn $8.5 million in arbitration,” The Athletic duo writes.
Milwaukee also has another Andrew, Andrew Fischer, who is a potent prospect.
“Their farm system also includes three first-base prospects, most notably Andrew Fischer, who last season hit 48 homers between Class A and Double A,” The Athletic writes. “Fischer bats left-handed, making him a potential complement to Vaughn, but has played only 72 games above A ball. Another left-handed hitter, Blake Burke, hit 34 homers in the minors last season, but was much more successful at Double A than Triple A. The third first-base prospect, Luke Adams, bats right-handed, and injuries last season limited him to 212 at-bats at Triple A. When healthy, though, he was quite productive, hitting 13 homers with a .927 OPS.”
Given how the Brewers generally operate, the logical path will be for them to take one of these in-house choices.
Free Agent Option
Sammon and Rosenthal also reference Ty France, a free agent from the San Diego Padres.
They don’t see France as the most likely choice, though.
“The chances of the Brewers pursuing free agent Ty France, a right-handed hitter who like Bauers enjoyed a breakout season in 2026, would appear slim,” The Athletic duo writes. “France, 32, is a year older than Bauers and figures to command a strong multiyear deal of his own.”
One way or another, the Brewers will find a Bauers replacement before Opening Day — whenever that comes after a lockout begins Dec. 1.
Brewers’ 3 Options for Replacing Jake Bauers Revealed