Regrading the Caleb Durbin trade amid Red Sox fans frustration and a Brewers revenge game

Letting Alex Bregman walk soon after trading Rafael Devers frustrated Boston Red Sox fans to no end, but to his credit, Craig Breslow found the team a viable replacement at the hot corner in Caleb Durbin — or so we thought. Despite a strong spring training, Durbin has been nothing short of a liability at the plate thus far for a Red Sox team that has looked awful out of the gate, going 2-for-28 in eight games.

Now, with a series featuring Durbin's former team, the Milwaukee Brewers, at Fenway Park on the docket, it only makes sense to regrade this deal that most Boston fans applauded at the time.

Why Red Sox fans mostly liked the Caleb Durbin trade

To be clear, Durbin wasn't the player Red Sox fans were eager for the team to acquire. Devers and Bregman are both middle-of-the-order sluggers, and while Durbin has some solid tools, his bat leaves a lot to be desired. He hit just 11 home runs in his first full season — not nothing, but not Bregman or Devers.

Red Sox fans still liked the trade, though, because of what it took to get him. All they traded to acquire Durbin, a legitimate starting-caliber player with tons of cheap years of club control, was Kyle Harrison, David Hamilton and Shane Drohan. Harrison, acquired in the Devers trade, seemingly didn't have a path to Boston's rotation with all the starting pitching depth the team already had, so moving him made sense. Hamilton was a popular punching bag that Red Sox fans had wanted gone for over a year. Drohan was a prospect who didn't have all that much value. These pieces were all very movable, and Boston acquired a player who had just finished as a Rookie of the Year finalist.

Red Sox fans might've preferred a power-hitting third baseman as opposed to one known more for his defense and speed like Durbin, but trading a bunch of depth for a starting third baseman made sense at the time. Of course, it has aged like milk in the first week and a half of the regular season, though.

Caleb Durbin trade regrades for Red Sox and Brewers

Boston Red Sox trade grade: C-

It's early, and Red Sox fans who have booed him already need to remember that. I mean, Devers began his 2025 season going 0-for-19 with 15 strikeouts and then had an .870 OPS the rest of the way despite the distractions. Durbin isn't Devers, but just because he's 2-for-28 now, it doesn't mean he'll hit under .100 the rest of the way. He's going to get going offensively to an extent, even if he doesn't offer much power.

Still, even if Durbin has the kind of year he did in 2025, is that really what the Red Sox needed? Don't get me wrong, Durbin is a good player with some upside, but again, he's more of a defense-first player whose best offensive attribute is putting the ball into play. This Red Sox team was in dire need of more thump, and Durbin doesn't provide much of that. He's a perfectly fine player, but that doesn't mean he's what Boston needed.

His slow start underscores how questionable this trade was, and the Brewers getting a lot out of their return only makes it worse.

Milwaukee Brewers trade grade: A-

As is usually the case, the Brewers were criticized for making this trade and have come out of it looking like geniuses. Again, it's early, but everything about the deal leans Milwaukee's way.

The Brewers acquired Harrison, a former top prospect that Boston gave up before giving him a real chance, and they've reaped their rewards early on. Harrison has a 2.61 ERA in his two starts and has struck out 14 batters in 10.1 innings of work. He certainly looks like the high-end pitcher everyone assumed he'd be just a couple of years ago with San Francisco. Milwaukee needed a boost in the rotation after trading Freddy Peralta and losing Quinn Priester due to injury for the beginning of the season, and Harrison has given them just that.

Even beyond Harrison, David Hamilton has gone 4-for-17 and has stolen four bases while starting four games at third base and appearing in three more at shortstop. He hasn't lit the world on fire by any means, but has greatly outperformed Durbin despite doing practically nothing offensively in Boston for all of 2025.

There's reason to believe Harrison won't be an ace in 2026 and that Durbin will improve, but Harrison sure looks like the better and more valuable player right now.

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