Two years ago Jake Bauers thought about walking away from baseball. Now he has a big new contract.

The first baseman and the Boston Red Sox agreed on a four-year, $58 million deal on Friday, according to sources. It is the first long-term contract of his career.

Bauers, 31, was one of the heroes of the Milwaukee Brewers' run to the World Series title.

A surprise move

Many people around the game expected Bauers to accept the Brewers' $23.15 million qualifying offer. That alone was more than nine times what he made in 2026.

Boston jumped in with a better offer instead. Because the deal is worth more than $50 million, Milwaukee will get an extra draft pick after the first round.

Boston needed offense

The Red Sox made the playoffs for the second year in a row. They were swept by the New York Yankees in the wild-card round and scored only two runs in two games.

Boston ranked 23rd in runs scored this season. Willson Contreras is still under contract at first base for one more year, so Bauers can also help at designated hitter.

A breakout season

Bauers hit .266 with a team-high 26 home runs and 86 RBIs for Milwaukee. He ranked third in the majors in on-base percentage and set career highs in hits, runs, walks and extra-base hits.

He was named MVP of the National League Championship Series as the Brewers swept the Los Angeles Dodgers. In Game 3 he blasted a 412-foot go-ahead two-run homer off Blake Snell on the 11th pitch of the at-bat.

Almost done after 2024

It is a long way from where he was. Bauers hit just .199 in 2024 and thought about retiring after the Brewers let him go.

Then he learned his wife, Lauren, was pregnant with their second child. He needed health insurance, so he signed a minor league deal with Milwaukee and made the team out of spring training in 2025.

He was still hitting under .188 that September. He decided to stop overthinking and just stay in the moment. He hit .378 over his final 19 games and carried that mindset into his best season yet.