Caleb Durbin Trade: Boston’s Midseason Turnaround Gives Red Sox the Edge

Boston’s six-player deal with Milwaukee looked lopsided by late spring, then tilted back toward the Red Sox as Caleb Durbin recovered and Kyle Harrison’s season unraveled. By season’s end, Boston’s side had produced more value by Baseball Reference’s WAR, though the players’ careers—and the trade’s verdict—are still taking shape.

Durbin’s slump didn’t last

The Red Sox acquired Durbin, infielders Andruw Monasterio and Anthony Seigler, and a draft pick in early February after failing to replace third baseman Alex Bregman in free agency. Durbin was expected to help cover the vacancy, but his .530 OPS through May made that look like a poor bet. Among qualified hitters, only one had a lower wRC+ at that point.

Boston’s wider struggles made the early returns harder to ignore. The club started 10-17, fired manager Alex Cora near the end of April, and didn’t immediately improve under interim manager Chad Tracy.

Caleb Durbin answered with a .326/.359/.605 line in June. He became a steady part of the lineup as Boston revived its playoff chances, then hit .291 with three home runs and 13 runs scored during the team’s 15-game winning streak in July. The Red Sox went on to secure a Wild Card berth.

Durbin finished with 13 homers, 20 stolen bases and a 100 wRC+, close to his rookie-season production with Milwaukee. He also delivered 13 Defensive Runs Saved at third base in Boston, adding value on a club that needed infield coverage.

“It is funny how the [offensive] numbers ended up being very similar,” Durbin told Alex Speier of the Boston Globe last week. “I’d like to think the stretch I had in the beginning of the year is kind of an anomaly. … If you take that out, I do feel like I had a better season [than 2025].”

Harrison’s promising start gives way to injury

Milwaukee received infielder David Hamilton and left-handed pitchers Harrison and Shane Drohan. Harrison initially looked like the centerpiece: he carried a 1.57 ERA into June after raising his arm angle and changing the movement on his four-seam fastball and slurve. The adjustments helped him join ace Jacob Misiorowski at the top of the Brewers’ rotation.

That start didn’t hold. Harrison’s ERA nearly doubled over seven starts from June into early July, before forearm tightness sent him to the injured list shortly before the All-Star Break. His velocity was down after returning in August, and he posted a 5.67 ERA in six starts. Milwaukee shifted him to the bullpen. In his first relief appearance, against Cincinnati, he gave up four earned runs without recording an out. He remained on the playoff roster but didn’t appear in a game.

Depth helped Boston; Milwaukee’s return still has room to grow

Seigler and Monasterio gave Boston useful infield depth while Trevor Story, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Romy Gonzalez missed extended stretches. The club also got no at-bats from Triston Casas. Drohan moved between long relief and starting work before fading late; he appeared for just one inning in the playoffs.

Hamilton, meanwhile, has emerged as Milwaukee’s most visible postseason contributor, going 6-for-17 with a home run and three stolen bases. That production complicates any simple verdict based on regular-season totals alone.

Baseball Reference’s WAR puts Boston ahead for 2026: Durbin, Seigler and Monasterio combined for 5.5, compared with 2.8 for Hamilton, Harrison and Drohan. That’s a useful snapshot, but comparing position players with pitchers has limits, and none of the six has reached arbitration. Durbin’s bounce-back gave Boston the stronger first-year return; Milwaukee still has time for its players to change the balance.

Photos courtesy of Jerome Miron and Aaron Doster, Imagn Images