The Boston Red Sox have landed their power bat.
Boston agreed to a four-year, $58-million contract with first baseman Jake Bauers on Friday, sources told Jeff Passan of ESPN.
The Red Sox entered the winter in desperate need of offensive upgrades, and president of baseball operations Craig Breslow clearly felt the need to get aggressive, inking the largest contract of the offseason so far.
Bauers is coming off a breakout season with the World Series champion Milwaukee Brewers. After hitting 58 homers with a .672 OPS in 613 games across his first six campaigns, Bauers became a completely different hitter in 2026. He slashed .266/.389/.484 with a career-high 26 home runs, 22 doubles, and an .874 OPS. His 3.6 fWAR produced last season was more than his six previous seasons combined.
Bauers should immediately improve a Red Sox lineup that went dormant at times in 2026. Boston finished the season 17th in wRC+, 19th in OPS, 20th in slugging, 23rd in runs scored, and 26th in homers.
Bauers' ability to hit the ball hard across all fields while also drawing walks should give the Red Sox confidence he'll be an impact player. He ranked in the 90th percentile or better in average exit velocity, hard-hit rate, bat speed, chase rate, and walk rate last season.
The 31-year-old isn't a great defender, but he has experience playing first base and in the corner outfield spots. He'll likely split time with Willson Contreras at first while also serving as the designated hitter. Fenway Park's Green Monster likely also allows him to play some left field.
Bauers joining the Red Sox could potentially mean the end of Masataka Yoshida's time in Boston. It could also open the door for Breslow to trade the likes of Jarren Duran or Triston Casas.
Bauers received a qualifying offer, meaning the Red Sox will be forced to surrender draft-pick compensation to the Brewers in 2027.
