MLB Notebook: Jake Bauers signing should signal more Red Sox moves

The MLB offseason is underway, and three notable free-agent signings have already taken place.

The Red Sox made a splash Friday, signing first baseman Jake Bauers to a four-year, $58 million contract. He's expected to see time at first base and designated hitter next season.

The other two moves should help strengthen the bullpens in Detroit and Atlanta.

The Tigers signed right-handed reliever Emilio Pagán to a one-year, $11 million contract, essentially replacing free-agent closer Kenley Jansen at the back end of their bullpen.

Pagán spent last season with the Reds and became a free agent after his $10 million player option was declined. The right-hander went 5-1 with a 3.38 ERA and converted 25 of 28 save opportunities in 2026.

A hamstring injury sidelined Pagán from May 5 through July 3. He now joins a Detroit bullpen that ranked 11th in the majors in ERA last season but struggled in high-leverage situations.

Pagán struck out 25.9% of opposing hitters in 2026 and owns a 28% career strikeout rate, giving the Tigers another swing-and-miss arm for the late innings.

Meanwhile, the Braves announced Wednesday that they signed right-handed reliever Evan Phillips to a three-year, $35 million contract.

Phillips returns to the organization that originally drafted him before he bounced around the league and eventually established himself as a dominant bullpen arm with the Dodgers. The veteran right-hander returned from Tommy John surgery in July and appeared in 31 games for Los Angeles last season, going 3-2 with a 3.46 ERA and 33 strikeouts in 26 innings.

Phillips joins an Atlanta bullpen that posted the second-best ERA (3.44) in the National League in 2026 despite being without $45 million closer Robert Suárez for half the season. His addition further solidifies the back end of the Braves' bullpen, with Dylan Lee and Dylan Dodd also in the mix for high-leverage innings ahead of Suárez.

Phillips essentially fills the role previously held by Raisel Iglesias, who recorded 34 saves for Atlanta in 2026 and is now a free agent after five seasons with the organization. The Braves reportedly are still interested in bringing back Iglesias, according to reports. 

What Does the Bauers Signing Mean for Jarren Duran?

With Bauers expected to split time between first base and designated hitter, his arrival could signal the end of both Jarren Duran's and Masataka Yoshida's time in Boston.

Duran's name was reportedly generating considerable buzz during the GM Meetings in Las Vegas this past week. With Bauers now in the fold, the outfielder could be the next domino to fall.

Trade speculation is nothing new for Duran, whose name has surfaced repeatedly over the past couple of offseasons. Last winter, Duran was mentioned in potential trade discussions involving Astros infielder Isaac Paredes. At the time, Alex Bregman was still a free agent, negotiations between the two sides appeared to be going nowhere, and Caleb Durbin wasn't even on anyone's radar as a potential third-base option.

The prevailing theme from reports coming out of Las Vegas is that the Red Sox are making Duran available.

The speedy outfielder is coming off a disappointing season in which he hit .207/.266/.361 and struck out at a career-high 27.1% clip. For a player who has built his game around speed, getting on base and turning singles into doubles, Duran was almost the opposite of what fans have come to expect.

There's still value in Duran, although certainly not what it was following his tremendous 2024 season, when he earned All-Star Game MVP honors. He remains a threat on the bases and can play a competent left field, even if his defense was an adventure at times this past season. Duran also offers some power; he hit 20 home runs in 2026, marking the second time in his career that he reached that total.

What's concerning is whether Duran became too focused on hitting the ball out of the park. His doubles total plummeted to just 15 after recording 41 in 2025 and 48 in 2024. He also finished with only five triples after hitting 13 in 2025 and 14 in 2024.

“Jarren will be the first person to say that his 2026 season was disappointing from a performance standpoint,” Craig Breslow told The Boston Globe this week in Las Vegas. “We also know what he’s capable of. We’ve seen that in ‘24 and ’25. He’s just such a dynamic athlete that he really fits what we’re trying to build. So we’re glad that he’s on our roster and part of the team.”

The Red Sox have dealt with an outfield logjam for some time, and moving one of their outfielders could help address other roster needs. Assuming Roman Anthony is healthy, he can handle everyday duties in left field, with back-to-back Gold Glove winner Ceddanne Rafaela in center and three-time Gold Glove winner Wilyer Abreu in right.

Boston also has Yoshida on the roster, although he's finally entering the last year of his contract. There's speculation that the Red Sox would prefer major league talent in return for Duran, who remains under team control for two more seasons. Regardless of the return, Boston would be selling low compared to his value following 2024. The question is whether Breslow believes another team is offering enough to justify moving on from such a polarizing player.

“When you’re approaching taking trades, I think what 30 teams are trying to do is decouple what someone just did from what we think they’re going to do,” Breslow said. “Selling high or selling low is going to be a look back on what their performance just was. What we’re trying to evaluate is, what is their talent and therefore what type of season or seasons are they going to have in the future? … Ultimately, the position that I would take is, if there isn’t a team who values a player in the way that we value them, then there probably isn’t a trade partner for us with respect to that player.”

Boston also has a more immediate decision to make regarding Duran and that's whether to tender him a contract for next season. MLB radeRumors projects that he'll earn north of $11 million in arbitration for 2027. With the possibility of a shortened season looming because of the anticipated lockout, other teams could be more willing to explore a deal knowing that some of that salary could be reduced.

If Boston can't find a trade partner, the club could theoretically non-tender Duran and avoid paying his projected salary. However, allowing him to walk away without receiving anything in return would be a significant mistake, particularly considering he still has two seasons of team control remaining.

As for Yoshida, he hasn't really fit the Red Sox roster since signing with Boston in December 2022. He's been the definition of trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. Moving Yoshida won't be easy, considering he's owed $18 million next season, and the rest of the league knows Boston would like to free up his spot on the 40-man roster.

If the Red Sox are willing to absorb a significant portion of his remaining salary, finding a trade partner becomes more realistic. It's also possible Boston could explore including Yoshida and Duran in the same deal to facilitate a larger trade.

The Bauers signing initially came as a surprise, but it addresses an obvious need for the Red Sox. Boston entered the offseason looking for another power bat, and the 31-year-old is coming off a breakout season that ended with a World Series championship in Milwaukee.

One of the key reasons the Sox targeted Bauers, beyond providing Willson Contreras with opportunities to rest from playing first base, was his improved plate discipline.

Bauers reduced his strikeout rate while increasing his on-base percentage, two areas Boston could stand to improve. The Red Sox ranked 12th in the majors with a .319 on-base percentage and 21st in walk rate at 8.5%. They also finished with one of the highest chase rates in baseball. Bauers showed his patience during the postseason, particularly in the National League Championship Series against the Dodgers.

He worked an impressive 12-pitch walk during a game-changing rally against Yoshinobu Yamamoto in Game 2 before delivering an 11-pitch, go-ahead home run against Blake Snell in Game 3.

Another factor worth considering is Bauers' ability to use the entire field, particularly at Fenway Park. Although he's another left-handed bat, his opposite-field approach could allow him to take advantage of the Green Monster. Boston's left-handed hitters combined for a .259/.326/.438 slash line at home last season with 40 home runs, but only three of those homers went to the opposite field. Eight of Bauers' 26 home runs in 2026 were opposite-field shots.

Bauers isn't the same caliber of offensive threat as Pete Alonso, whom I believe the Red Sox should have pursued aggressively last offseason. Still, he's a productive hitter who offers power, an improved approach at the plate and a swing that should translate well to Fenway Park. Last offseason, Breslow acknowledged that the Red Sox needed to add power to their lineup, but Contreras was the only significant addition in that department.

This week in Las Vegas, Breslow again emphasized the importance of improving the offense.

“We need to have a more consistent offense. We need to score more runs,” Breslow said Monday. “I think there’s a bunch of different ways to do that. We saw this postseason that there’s a bunch of different ways to do that … We’re going to be looking, as we always are, for different ways to improve the team.”

The reaction to the Bauers' signing has been mixed with some fans and social media personalities have enthusiastically embraced the move, pointing to his Baseball Savant profile and underlying numbers as evidence that Boston landed an impact hitter.

Others remain skeptical about committing $58 million over four years to a player who spent much of his career bouncing between organizations before breaking out in Milwaukee. There have been plenty of players who blossomed later in their careers and quickly became fan favorites. Justin Turner is one example that comes to mind.

The question is whether Bauers can sustain the improvements he made in 2026. Unless Breslow is planning a much larger roster shakeup, the Bauers signing should also quiet some of the speculation surrounding free-agent outfielders Randy Arozarena and Seiya Suzuki.

Both had been linked to Boston, with Suzuki reportedly having “fans” within the organization. With Bauers off the board, the free-agent market could begin to pick up as players look to secure contracts before the anticipated lockout begins Dec. 1 at 11:59 p.m. The trade market could also take shape as clubs look for creative ways to improve their rosters without making significant free-agent commitments.

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