First baseman Jake Bauers and the Boston Red Sox are in agreement on a four-year, $58 million contract, sources told ESPN, giving Boston the power bat it entered the winter searching for and ending one of the offseason's first big free-agent pursuits.
Bauers, 31, is coming off a breakout season with the World Series champion Milwaukee Brewers, batting .266 with 26 home runs, 86 RBIs and an .874 OPS in 144 regular-season games. He ranked third in the major leagues in on-base percentage and sixth in wOBA, and he was named MVP of the National League Championship Series as Milwaukee won its first World Series.
The deal is the first long-term contract of Bauers' career and a remarkable turnaround for a player who entered the 2026 season with minus-1.2 career WAR after stints with the Tampa Bay Rays, Cleveland Guardians, Seattle Mariners and New York Yankees. He signed back with Milwaukee on a minor league deal ahead of the 2025 season and made the club, then became one of the best hitters in the sport from early September 2025 onward.
Bauers turned down a $23.15 million qualifying offer from the Brewers to take the multi-year deal in Boston. Because the contract is worth more than $50 million and Milwaukee is a revenue-sharing recipient, the Brewers will receive a compensatory draft pick between the end of the first round and Competitive Balance Round A.
The Red Sox, who ranked 23rd in the major leagues in runs scored this season, will have to surrender draft-pick compensation of their own. As luxury tax payors in 2026, they forfeit their second- and fifth-highest draft selections for signing a player who rejected a qualifying offer.
Boston president of baseball operations Craig Breslow moved aggressively for the largest contract of the offseason so far, landing the first baseman to anchor a lineup that badly needed offense. Bauers is expected to become the Red Sox's everyday first baseman.
