The Boston Red Sox have gotten their hot stove season started by signing Jake Bauers to a $58 million deal. The move comes hot on the heels of Bauers helping the Milwaukee Brewers win their first World Series in franchise history.

Per veteran reporter Sean McAdam, the Bauers deal to Boston came as a bit of a surprise as it had not previously come up.

“I kind of came out of nowhere. It was a name that had not been linked to the Red Sox at the just-completed GM meetings,” McAdam said on MLB Network.

McAdam then went on to discuss why the Red Sox signed Bauers and how they might use him next season.

“I think initially people are saying, ‘Well, what are they doing with this guy? They have Willson Contreras at first. But the plan, as you guys alluded to, is to have Bauers serve mostly as the DH, but also be a quality backup behind Contreras at first base,” McAdam said.

McAdam also noted Contreras' injury concerns, and he sees Bauers as an ideal solution to slot into the position should those issues arise again.

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Bauers, 31, is coming off a career year for the Brewers. He played in 144 games, hitting .266 with a .389 on-base percentage with 26 home runs and 86 RBIs. And while he did not have a great postseason overall, he did have a strong NLCS against the Los Angeles Dodgers and was named the series' MVP.

After finishing a disappointing 23rd in runs scored last season, the surprise Bauers signing might be just the start for the Red Sox, who are expected to look for more offensive upgrades this offseason.