Two years ago, Jake Bauers was ready to retire. Now, the former Milwaukee Brewers first baseman is a World Series champion, a $58 million Boston Red Sox signing, and a bat that Red Sox legend David Ortiz openly endorses. That turnaround came with 26 home runs, a .389 on-base percentage, and NLCS MVP honors in 2026.
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Ortiz left no doubt about where he stands on the move. In an interview with @KPowtak at his charity golf classic in Palm Beach, MLB Legend Ortiz said, “I think it’s a good acquisition. Guy that hits for power, he’s (gotten) very mature, getting better … offensively, he’s a monster.”
The monster label has numbers behind it. Bauers slashed .266/.389/.484 with 26 home runs, 86 RBIs and a 143 wRC+, and he finished second in the National League in on-base percentage. Boston ranked 26th in homers last season, so his pop fills a real hole in a lineup that ranked 20th in slugging percentage.
ESPN insider Jeff Passan reported on X, citing sources, that Bauers and the Red Sox had agreed to a four-year contract. Bauers turned down a $23.15 million qualifying offer from the Brewers and took a $14.5 million average annual value, trading a higher yearly figure for four guaranteed years while MLB and the players’ union negotiate a new CBA.
The next question is where he plays. MassLive reporter Chris Cotillo reports that Bauers is expected to serve as the primary designated hitter, with occasional starts at first base to give first baseman Willson Contreras a partial day off.
Contreras remains the lineup’s top bat. The 34-year-old hit .275/.386/.516 with a team-high 27 homers and 81 RBIs, while Bauers adds a left-handed swing to a projected order of five righties and switch-hitting catcher Adley Rutschman.
With Bauers claiming the DH role, designated hitter Masataka Yoshida becomes the odd man out. He enters the final year of a five-year, $90 million deal and could be released if Boston cannot find a trade partner.
The Red Sox also reportedly want to move outfielder Jarren Duran after a rough 2026, which makes him the more realistic trade candidate. Cotillo adds that Bauers could rotate through the outfield, keeping outfielders Roman Anthony and Wilyer Abreu fresh, along with Duran if he stays.
The projected starting outfield is Anthony, center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela and Abreu, who led the American League with 38 doubles. Anthony is still working back from a torn ligament in his right ring finger, which leaves one spot uncertain.
Whether the breakout holds is the biggest question. Bauers’ previous bests were a 115 wRC+ and a 0.7 bWAR, compared with 143 and 3.3 in 2026, and the 31-year-old has passed through seven organizations, so four years is a bet on an outlier.
October did show the upside. Bauers won NLCS MVP honors in the Brewers’ sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers, hitting .286 with a homer and six RBIs, including a go-ahead two-run shot off left-hander Blake Snell after an 11-pitch at-bat.
That success was hard to see coming. After hitting .199 in 2024, Bauers was dropped from the 40-man roster and prepared to retire, but his wife’s pregnancy and the family’s need for health insurance changed the plan.
The Brewers gave him a path back. Bauers re-signed on a minor-league deal in January 2025, posted a .752 OPS across 85 games in a platoon role, then took over first base in 2026 and played 144 games.
Losing him leaves the Brewers with a hole. They receive a compensatory pick between the first round and the Competitive Balance Round A, and first baseman Andrew Vaughn is the leading internal replacement, with prospects Andrew Fischer and Blake Burke further out.
The deal also shifts the free agent market. With Bauers off the board, first baseman Ty France, formerly of the San Diego Padres, now tops the first base class. The New York Mets also need a first baseman and could target France, and a possible lockout after Dec. 1 pushes clubs to act quickly.
Boston now has its power bat and a crowded roster to sort out. If Bauers repeats 2026, Ortiz’s praise holds up, and the Red Sox look smart. If he regresses, they are paying $58 million for a pricey role player.