After debuting with the Tampa Bay Rays at 22 years old during the 2018 season, young Jake Bauers’ promising impact left some expectations when he finished with 11 home runs, 48 RBIs and a .700 OPS in his first 388 plate appearances across 96 games.

He was then sent to Cleveland and, from that point on, between 2019 and 2024, he finished each of his seasons with a negative bWAR. Bauers left the New York Yankees after another season with 12 home runs, matching his career high, but hit for a line of just .202/.279/.413, finishing with a .673 slugging percentage. He left New York for the Milwaukee Brewers, and his version as a hitter did not change, producing 12 home runs with 43 RBIs and a .662 OPS.

In six seasons, his bWAR was negative at just -1.9, and he posted a poor 81 OPS+. He had gone through five Major League organizations, and his offensive production had not found its own identity as a hitter, until late in the 2024 season, when he was almost convinced that he had to leave baseball. Bauers was heading into free agency, knowing that he was not going to have many offers to continue his career, but becoming a father pushed him to keep going, and he took advantage of a new opportunity.

Bauers signed with the Milwaukee Brewers on January 6, 2025, to a minor league contract and received an invitation to Spring Training. Now, almost two years later, he has become one of the Brewers’ key players throughout the year, but especially in this postseason, when the team is pursuing the first title in franchise history.

Jake Bauers With Milwaukee

In the regular season this year, he had the most notable breakout of his career, producing 26 home runs, 86 RBIs, an .874 OPS and recording 3.3 bWAR. But that is not the only thing that has turned Bauers into one of Milwaukee’s most valuable players, beyond earning the NLCS MVP award. It has been many of his at-bats this postseason, from his unforgettable 11-pitch showdown that he ended up winning with a two-run home run against left-hander Blake Snell in the seventh inning of Game 3 of the NLCS against the Los Angeles Dodgers, to the single against Drew Rasmussen in the first inning of Game 2 of the World Series to contribute to an early rally when the Rays opened a 4-0 lead on the scoreboard.

So, whatever the outcome of this World Series, the interesting point here is what will happen with Bauers in the near future, since he will become a free agent when the season ends.

Should the Twins consider Bauers as an option at first base?

Considering what Bauers has done, the Brewers will likely offer him some kind of contract to keep him with the organization. However, it also should not surprise us if Milwaukee has another plan, assuming they have enough prospects to cover the first base position if they do not have Bauers. That said, if Bauers enters the market, he could be a very interesting option for the Twins’ needs. I have also been thinking recently about the possibility of Luis Arraez returning to Minnesota, but in that case, there would be many steps to work out.

I would love the Arraez option, since he could handle second base full-time, and Kody Clemens would be a very good alternative at first base—in fact, his defensive metrics looked better there than at second base during 2026. But that plan would undoubtedly take a first baseman out of the equation, since I do not think the team will spend on two infield acquisitions.

Following that line of thinking, the advantage here is that if the option is to pursue a first baseman in free agency, the Twins could keep Clemens at second. Among the most interesting options on the market could be Bauers and also Ty France—he leads free-agent first basemen with 4.5 fWAR over the last two campaigns—but I do not think the San Diego Padres will let him go, given the impact he made throughout the season.

To be honest, I also do not see France returning to Minnesota again, because if he does not return to the Padres, I think he is in a position to seek a much more lucrative offer on the market. So Bauers remains one of my best options for the Twins, especially if Josh Bell and Ryan Jeffers do not return and the lineup loses a little power for 2027.