Jake Bauers agreed to a four-year, $58 million contract with the Boston Red Sox, according to La Opinión.
The franchise seeks to improve its offense with a batter who is coming off the best campaign of his career and winning the National League Championship Series MVP award.
The 31-year-old first baseman joins Boston after winning the National League Championship Series MVP award and helping the Milwaukee Brewers capture the 2026 World Series title. He hit .266 with 26 home runs, 86 RBIs, and an .874 OPS during the regular season.
Breaking: First baseman Jake Bauers and the Boston Red Sox are in agreement on a four-year, $58 million contract, sources tell @JeffPassan. pic.twitter.com/4HuEUkTSrw
Boston signed the left-handed hitter to address a glaring lack of power in its lineup. The team ranked 26th in Major League Baseball in home runs and 20th in slugging percentage in 2026, falling short in the postseason despite a strong pitching staff.
Nearly quitting baseball in 2024
Bauers weighed retirement after a dismal 2024 season where he batted .199 with a .662 OPS. He changed his mind after learning his wife, Lauren, was pregnant, realizing his family needed health insurance coverage.
JAKE BAUERS IS THE NLCS MVP 🔥 Bauers batted .286 with a home run and 6 RBIs against the Dodgers 👏 pic.twitter.com/1cLKIbyTlV
The decision paid off as Bauers set career highs across the board in 2026. Statcast placed him above the 90th percentile in hard-hit rate at 51.9%, average exit velocity at 92.1 mph, and a 14% barrel rate.
Postseason heroics for Milwaukee
Bauers delivered his signature playoff moment in the NLCS against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He hit a go-ahead home run off two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell in the third game following an 11-pitch at-bat.
He finished that series with four hits in 14 at-bats, one home run, and six RBIs to claim series MVP honors. He added two hits in 21 at-bats during the World Series as Milwaukee defeated Tampa Bay in five games for the first title in franchise history.
Before his breakthrough in Milwaukee, Bauers was selected in the draft of 2013 by the San Diego Padres and, in his first six seasons, never surpassed 372 at-bats or 12 home runs in a campaign, playing for San Diego, Tampa Bay, Cleveland, Seattle, and the New York Yankees.
Lineup fit in Boston
The Red Sox face a logjam in finding regular at-bats for their new first baseman. Willson Contreras holds the primary role at first base, and Masataka Yoshida is locked in as the regular designated outfielder and DH option.
Bauers also has experience in the outfield, playing 16 games in left and 32 in right for Milwaukee in 2026. He joins a crowded outfield mix that already features Roman Anthony, Ceddanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu, and Jarren Duran.
Earlier coverage: Jake Bauers Agrees to 4-Year, $58 Million Deal With Red Sox
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