Looking for a home: Brewers' Jake Bauers hoping his seventh organization is best fit yet

PHOENIX — Jake Bauers is ready for yet another opportunity.

Playing for his seventh franchise in 11 seasons in professional baseball, it's really become second nature for the 28-year-old, who this spring is seeking to cement a spot on the Milwaukee Brewers' opening-day roster as, most likely, a left-handed bat with a little defensive versatility.

"I think I learned that early on, and from there it’s just been a part of the journey, really," the low-key Newport Beach, California, native said.

Let's track where Bauers has been since being drafted out of high school in the seventh round in 2013:

He lasted just over 18 months with the team that drafted him, the San Diego Padres, before being traded for the first time — a massive three-team, 10-player deal highlighted by Trea Turner.

"I remember when I was with the Padres," manager Pat Murphy said. "This was a guy that was going to play in the big leagues, and he was just out of high school."

Jake Bauers has been well-traveled during his MLB career

Bauers spent the next four seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays, reaching the major leagues for the first time in 2018 and seeing action in 96 games, before he was on the move again. This time he went to Cleveland in another three-team trade and played 160 games over parts of two seasons (not counting the pandemic year).

He was traded to the Seattle Mariners in June 2021 and played 72 games over the rest of that season.

Bauers' first foray into free agency came in November 2021. He eventually signed with the Cincinnati Reds, but less than six months later was traded to the New York Yankees in a cash deal.

He failed to reach the majors in 2022 but re-signed with the Yankees heading into last season and played 84 games for New York.

Then the Brewers came calling and on Nov. 17 this past offseason he was sent to Milwaukee in exchange for minor-leaguers Jace Avina and Brian Sanchez.

Got all that?

Milwaukee feeling like 'home' for Jake Bauers

"I feel like on about my third team I kind of just realized that a baseball team is a baseball team and that baseball guys are baseball guys," Bauers said when asked about his circuitous career that's also included 10 different minor-league stops. "Ever since I got here it’s felt like home, it’s felt like a good spot and everyone’s been good to me.

"It’s been going good so far."

A glass-half-empty outlook would be that Bauers simply isn't good enough to stick; he's accounted for minus-1.5 WAR over his 412-game career to this point and his overall stat line reveals a lifetime .211 batting average, 39 homers, 140 RBI and an OPS of .663.

A glass-half-full take would be that there is still faith in a bat that's repeatedly flashed potential and enough versatility defensively that Bauers warrants yet another opportunity to see what he can do.

"I think mentally I’m in the best spot I’ve been," said Bauers, whose splits are virtually identical against both right-handed and left-handed pitching (.211 vs. .210). Most of his run production (32 homers and 114 RBI) have come against righties.

"I’m here trying to help a team win," he continued. "That’s really all it boils down to."

Jake Bauers is a versatile player and ready to adapt

His best season to date came in 2019, when he hit .226 with 12 homers and 43 RBI with an OPS of .683. Last year with the Yankees, he hit .202/12/30/.693 in 84 games while logging time at first base and designated hitter as well as in left and right field.

"I think I learned a lot," said Bauers of his time in New York. "Obviously, it’s a high-pressure environment that’s going to kind of test your limits a little bit. I think I learned how to handle some uncomfortable situations and I just kept growing along the journey.

"I think I had a pretty good idea that I was going to be traded; just didn’t know where. Excited to step in here."

When Milwaukee acquired Bauers, it was still roughly two months away from signing free agent Rhys Hoskins, a move that cemented what had been a gaping hole at first base.

There are paths for Bauers to play behind Hoskins at first, perhaps making starts on days Hoskins serves as DH or simply needs a day off as he continues to round into form after March's ACL surgery.

"I don’t really read into that too much," he said when asked what his expectations were moving forward. "I try to be ready for whatever comes up, whether it be first base, DH, outfield. Things change quickly so you can’t really put all your eggs in one basket."

Before coming to Milwaukee general manager Matt Arnold was with Tampa Bay, where his path crossed with Bauers.

"It’s probably a combination of first, DH and outfield," he said when asked to define a path forward for Bauers. "I think it’s another bat against right-handed pitching that has a lot of value. He made some strides last year offensively and the early returns so far have been really good.

"We like what we see so far. He’s a good baseball player, and he can help us."

Jake Bauers' most memorable moment was when he hit for a cycle during the 2019 season

Bauers does have one defining career highlight to this point.

On June 14, 2019, he hit for the cycle against the Detroit Tigers, becoming the first Cleveland player to do so since Rajai Davis three seasons earlier. Bauer doubled, singled, tripled and then homered off former Brewer Blaine Hardy in the eighth to complete his achievement.

Even cooler, it was the second cycle in as many days in MLB as he followed Shohei Ohtani. The pair became the first to cycle on consecutive days since 1912.

"It was a good day," recalled Bauers. "I was fortunate to do something special. It’s cool. Anytime you have your name next to Shohei’s, it’s not a bad thing.

"It’s a good memory, it’s a good highlight, it was a good day and I enjoyed it for sure."

That's Bauers for you, always keeping it moving.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: It's now seven teams and counting for Milwaukee Brewers' Jake Bauers