Red Sox sign breakout 1B Jake Bauers to 4-year, $58 million contract, per reports

BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Red Sox have signed Jake Bauers to a four-year, $58 million deal that rewards the first baseman for his 2026 breakout season that included being named MVP of the National League Championship Series, according to multiple reports, including ESPN.

Bauers never had more than 372 at-bats and never hit more than 12 homers in his first six seasons. He considered retiring before emerging as a power threat to help lead the Milwaukee Brewers to the World Series title.

The left-handed hitting Bauers, 31, set career highs with a .266 batting average, .874 OPS, 26 home runs and 86 RBIs.

He was a postseason star, including in the NLCS sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers. He hit a go-ahead homer off two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell to end an 11-pitch at-bat in a 6-2 victory in Game 3 at Los Angeles.

Overall, Bauers was 4 for 14 (.286) with a home run and six RBIs on his way to being named NLCS MVP. He was only 2 for 21 with no homers or RBIs in the Brewers' World Series win over Tampa Bay.

It was not immediately clear how Bauers will fit into Boston's lineup. Willson Contreras is established as the starting first baseman. Bauers and Contreras could share playing time at designated hitter and first base.

Bauers played for Tampa Bay, Cleveland, Seattle and the New York Yankees before finding a home with Milwaukee in 2024. His .235 batting average in 2025 was his career high before his 2026 breakout.

Bauers was drafted in 2013 by the San Diego Padres. He hit .202 for the New York Yankees in 2023 and then hit .199 in his 2024 debut with Milwaukee. He considered ending his playing career before learning his wife was pregnant. He says he returned because the family needed health insurance.

ESPN was the first to report the deal.

___

See AP’s full MLB coverage here