The Boston Red Sox wasted no time in their pursuit of offensive upgrades this offseason, signing the first big bat off the market in Jake Bauers. The reigning NLCS MVP and World Series champion will get $58 million over the next four years, and though he's going to cost the organization some draft picks and international bonus pool space as a qualified free agent, he's going to bring some impact to the middle of Chad Tracy's lineup for a relatively affordable affordable price.
Of course, adding a first baseman/corner outfielder to a roster that already employs Willson Contreras and a whole outfield logjam is going to upset the status quo. There are a lot of consequences that this move will have for other players, though perhaps not the ones fans are most concerned about.
Jake Bauers, Willson Contreras can coexist at first base, as long as Red Sox leave DH spot open
Bauers is a great hitter — he just posted an .874 OPS and hit 26 home runs this past season — but not a great defender. It's easier to hide him at first base (where he has -7 Defensive Runs Saved throughout his career) than the corners of the outfield (-13 DRS), but that's obviously the position that Willson Contreras has locked down right now.
Thankfully, there is an opening at designated hitter in the lineup, which is where Bauers will primarily play. His experience at first base will also allow the Red Sox to give Contreras more pseudo-off days in the DH spot, effectively cycling between both sluggers to keep them fresh.
Red Sox plan for Jake Bauers is to mostly be the designated hitter while cycling in at first base to get Willson Contreras off his feet more, sources say. The Red Sox want Contreras healthy for 162 and that helps to that end.
— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) November 13, 2026
Remember, Contreras was dealing with hand and lower body injuries at the end of the season, which neutered a lot of his impact in the batter's box. Keeping him healthy is a top priority in 2027, a goal that Bauers can help achieve by stepping onto the field whenever his new teammate needs a night off.
Jake Bauers puts futures of Jarren Duran, Masataka Yoshida, and Triston Casas in flux
Even though Bauers isn't a great defender in left or right field, the fact that he can play those positions at all gives the Red Sox a little more versatility with how they can deploy the players on the 26-man roster.
The fates of Masataka Yoshida and Triston Casas appear all but sealed by this move; the former is a DH-only player on a team that now has a full-time DH (see above), and the latter has ostensibly been replaced by a fellow left-handed hitting first baseman. Even as Casas prepares for a potential taste of winter ball, expect both to be off the 40-man roster soon, whether it's by way of trade, DFA, or (in Casas' case) non-tender.
Duran's future is even murkier, since he's a far better defender than Bauers and can play center field if Ceddanne Rafaela goes down. However, he's no longer going to be asked to DH on a regular basis now that a better hitter has been brought in, making his projected $11.1 million salary look a little ridiculous for a fourth outfielder. As such, the Red Sox may finally be motivated enough to move him in a trade and start overhauling this roster for the better.
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