The Boston Red Sox are pivoting after losing third baseman Alex Bregman to the Chicago Cubs in free agency. Perhaps in response to that move, the team made a trade for Milwaukee Brewers third baseman Caleb Durbin on Monday, the team announced Monday.
Durbin, 25, hit .256/.334/.387 as a rookie. It marks the third time in his career Durbin has been traded.
Durbin, who was originally drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 14th round of the 2021 MLB Draft, is known as a scrappy, undersized player who is capable of strong defense at third base.
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While he’s hit well in the minors, his upside with the bat is a bit of a question after a middling rookie season. Durbin’s slash line wasn’t overly impressive, though was five percent better compared to the league average. He managed that despite one of the worst average exit velocities in the game and a low barrel rate. Both figures cast doubt on Durbin’s ability to be a major producer at the plate moving forward.
But Durbin has been the type of player who has overcome those shortcomings in the past. Even last year, he showed an ability to optimize his approach at the plate, making sure he was pulling his fly balls, a good way for a player like Durbin to maximize his power output. That approach came through in the second half, which saw Durbin club seven home runs in 234 plate appearances. That came with a big reduction in Durbin’s on-base percentage, so he’ll need to find a way to reconcile that to be the best version of himself in the majors.
In addition to Durbin, the Red Sox also received Andruw Monasterio, Anthony Seigler and a competitive-balance round B pick, per MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand.
Monasterio, 28, hit .270/.319/.437 in limited time with the Brewers last season. He saw time at every position on the infield and even played two innings in left field in 2025. Seigler, a 26-year-old third baseman, hit just under .200 in 73 plate appearances in the majors last year.
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In exchange for Durbin, the Red Sox are parting ways with a key piece involved in the Rafael Devers trade. Left-handed pitcher Kyle Harrison is the main player heading to the Brewers in the deal.
Harrison, 24, didn’t see much time in the majors following that trade. After making eight appearances with the San Francisco Giants, Harrison was sent to the minors after being acquiring in the Devers deal. He made three major-league appearances with the Red Sox at the end of the regular season, putting up a 3.00 ERA over 12 innings.
Prior to the 2024 MLB season, Harrison ranked within the top half on most top-100 prospect lists, topping out as No. 23 on MLB.com’s list heading into that season. While the lefty hasn’t embarrassed himself in the majors yet, he hasn’t lived up to those expectations either. The Brewers have a knack for getting the most out of their young pitchers, however, so this could be a great landing spot for Harrison.
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The Brewers will also receive 27-year-old pitcher Shane Drohan and 28-year-old infielder David Hamilton in the deal. Hamilton is known more for his defensive ability and has hit just .222 since 2023. Drohan saw his strike-out rate soar in the minors last season, but was old for Triple-A and never got a chance in the majors with the Red Sox.
With the move, two of the key pieces acquired by the Red Sox in the Devers deal are no longer with the franchise. In addition to shipping out Harrison, the Red Sox also traded away pitcher Jordan Hicks on Feb. 1. Hicks struggled mightily in limited work with the Red Sox following the Devers trade, posting an 8.20 ERA over 18 2/3 innings. The Red Sox were disappointed enough with that performance that they agreed to part with a better prospect since the Chicago White Sox covered a chunk of Hicks’ salary moving forward.
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Both the Brewers and Red Sox are expected to contend in 2026 after making the playoffs last season. Despite that, both teams still have a few glaring roster deficiencies. The Red Sox may have plugged one of those with Durbin. The Brewers, meanwhile, are engaging in a bit of a rebuild on the fly after trading away ace Freddy Peralta earlier in the offseason.
The Durbin trade presents more questions in Milwaukee than answers, but the team has a strong recent track record of getting the most out of its young, unproven players. Harrison could be the next Brewers pitcher to take that leap, and the team does have a handful of impressive infield prospects who could replace Durbin’s numbers before long.
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Given Durbin’s youth and low salary, the Brewers didn’t need to make the move. The fact that they did speaks to the team’s excitement about Harrison, and could be a sign it didn’t see a higher ceiling for Durbin moving forward.
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But Durbin has overcome the odds before. And if the Red Sox can further optimize his approach at the plate, there’s potential for Durbin to develop into an extremely useful, well-rounded contributor in all facets of the game.
