First baseman Jake Bauers and the Boston Red Sox have agreed to four-year, $58 million contract, sources told ESPN's Jeff Passan on Friday.
Bauers, who turned 31 in October, was one of the Milwaukee Brewers' postseason heroes, culminating a shocking breakout season in which he was one of the top hitters in the majors.
Because Bauers received a $23.15 million qualifying offer, the Brewers will receive draft pick compensation since he signed with a new team.
Bauers had two epic plate appearances against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series. earning MVP honors while hitting .286 with six RBIs in the four-game sweep.
In Game 2, he worked Yoshinobu Yamamoto for a memorable 12-pitch walk to load the bases in the third inning. Christian Yelich then followed with a go-ahead two-run single, knocking Yamamoto out of the game. In Game 3, Bauers delivered one of the biggest hits of the postseason, belting a 412-foot go-ahead two-run home run in the seventh inning off Blake Snell on the 11th pitch of the at-bat.
Bauers batted .266/.389/.484 with 26 home runs and 86 RBIs this season, leading the Brewers in home runs while ranking third in MLB in on-base percentage and seventh in wRC+. He was a finalist for the Silver Slugger Award among NL first basemen and NL utility players, as he also played at the corner outfield positions in 46 games this season.
It was an impressive season for a journeyman who nearly retired after the 2024 season.
Bauers entered the 2026 season with minus-1.2 career WAR, having played for the Tampa Bay Rays, Cleveland Guardians, Seattle Mariners and New York Yankees in his major league career -- with a minor-league stint with the Cincinnati Reds thrown in -- before landing with the Brewers in 2024. But he hit just .199 and contemplated retiring after the Brewers non-tendered him following the season.
After learning his wife, Lauren, was pregnant with their second child, he needed health insurance and signed a minor league deal with the Brewers, making the team in 2025 out of spring training. He was still hitting under .188 in early September, however, when he made sudden decision to stop overanalyzing his approach and, in his words, becoming more present in the moment. He hit .378 over his final 19 games and carried his new mindset into 2026.
While it is unusual for a 30-year-old to have a breakout season, Bauers' Statcast numbers suggest his results were legit with a 94th percentile hard-hit rate, 93rd percentile bat speed, 93rd percentile chase rate and 98th percentile walk rate. The left-handed batter even hit lefties well at .267/.375/.526 and by the postseason was no longer being platooned at first base.
ESPN's David Schoenfield contributed to this report.