Yankees Were Never Going to Pursue Jake Bauers Anyway

Back in 2023, when the New York Yankees missed the playoffs for just the fifth time in over three decades, a man by the name of Jake Bauers spent some time at both first base and in the outfield for the team.

At the time, no one thought anything of it. Bauers was really only playing because of all of the injuries the Yankees had, and it wasn't like he was any good, slashing .202/.279/.413 over 272 plate appearances.

Fast forward to 2026, and Bauers just finished playing an absolutely crucial role on the Milwaukee Brewers World Series squad, slashing .266/.389/.484 with 26 home runs and 86 RBI across 578 trips to the dish.

Bauers was also awarded the NLCS MVP award after hitting a homer and collecting six RBI in the Brewers' four-game sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

But the real reason Bauers is suddenly getting so much attention in the Bronx is because of comments Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy made to the 31-year-old following the team's World Series win.

“You’re gonna be a rich [expletive]," Murphy said to Bauers. "Just remember when you’re on that horse [expletive] Yankees team and you guys are all playing for yourselves ... just remember this is way we used to do it."

Bauers is hitting free agency this offseason, and Murphy is right: the breakout veteran probably will get paid by someone, and clearly, it won't be the Brewers.

But the funny thing is, it won't be the Yankees either.

New York already has enough of a glut at first base with Ben Rice and Luis Garcia Jr., and it is still trying to figure out what to do with Giancarlo Stanton and the DH spot.

Do the Yankees really need another piece to try and fit into that crowded puzzle?

Bauers is not good defensively, so in a perfect world, he would be a DH. And you know what? He owns a lifetime .717 OPS since entering the league in 2018. So just how sustainable was Bauers' breakthrough 2026 campaign?

His .339 BABIP is an indication that he was probably getting a bit lucky, although his 13.9 percent barrel rate and 51.9 percent hard-hit rate were certainly contributing factors.

But are we supposed to believe that Bauers has suddenly become a stud nine years into his major-league tenure?

New York absolutely needs to add some bats this winter, but Bauers was never going to be one of the players the Yanks pursued, so Murphy has nothing to worry about.