With less than a week remaining before the first full-squad workout of Spring Training, the Milwaukee Brewers appeared to have their infield pretty well established. The platoon of Andrew Vaughn and Jake Bauers is set at first base, Platinum Glove Award winner Brice Turang is locked in at the keystone position, the Brewers maintained their belief in Joey Ortiz throughout the offseason, and 2025 NL Rookie of the Year finalist Caleb Durbin was looking to build on his impressive inaugural campaign at the hot corner.

However, on the morning of “Super Bowl Monday” when sports fans’ attention had officially shifted to baseball, the Brewers’ front office made a surprising move, trading Durbin and two utility infielders — Andruw Monasterio and Anthony Seigler — to the Boston Red Sox for two lefty pitchers in Kyle Harrison and Shane Drohan, and utility infielder David Hamilton.

Though the Brewers have made a habit of trading for controllable starting pitchers — the most valuable players in baseball right now — this trade specifically feels a bit different. Durbin still had plenty of team control remaining and made a name for himself in his rookie season. He finished third in the 2025 NL Rookie of the Year voting and seemed to be providing stability to a position that had been a revolving door in recent years. The surplus value that he offered, if he could replicate his rookie season, which was by no means a guarantee, was substantial. Not to mention, he was one of Pat Murphy’s favorite players.

So where does that leave the Brewers heading into 2026? Hamilton is a strong defender up the middle and could presumably move to the hot corner. For what it’s worth, the Brewers’ unofficial depth chart currently has him slotted in as the starter at third base. Milwaukee could certainly try Jett Williams there, but he’s never manned the hot corner in his professional career, which could mean a move for Ortiz, who spent all of 2024 covering third base. The Brewers have several exciting third base prospects in Brock Wilken and Andrew Fischer, but expecting them to be big-league ready in the early goings of the 2026 season is a risky bet.

Therefore, the Brewers might look to the trade market to find Durbin’s replacement, and if they do so, one team sticks out as not only having the perfect trade candidate, but also wanting something that Milwaukee could realistically offer.

Astros reportedly searching for left-handed outfielder in return for Isaac Paredes

Ironically, the Brewers’ trade of Durbin took a would-be suitor off the board in the Isaac Paredes sweepstakes. The Houston Astros’ third baseman, who has been made redundant with the presence of Carlos Correa in the ‘Stros infield, is a popular name on the trade market right now. Teams such as the Red Sox and Pittsburgh Pirates have reportedly shown interest in Paredes, but now that the former acquired Durbin and the latter signed Marcel Ozuna, the trade partners for Houston are dwindling. The Brewers might just be the leading candidate to land the 2x All-Star.

Paredes is under club control through 2027 (contingent on him not finishing Top 10 in MVP voting in 2026), and has firmly established himself at the big-league level. He was an All-Star in 2024 when he was with the Tampa Rays, and again in 2025 as a member of the Houston Astros. In between those two All-Star Game appearances, Paredes was traded to the Chicago Cubs at the 2024 trade deadline and then traded again to the Astros last offseason in exchange for Kyle Tucker.

According to Chandler Rome of The Athletic, the Astros are committed to landing a left-handed outfielder in any trade package that they receive for Paredes, of which the Brewers have several options. The first name that comes to mind would be Garrett Mitchell. Mitchell has missed large parts of the last couple of seasons with injuries, but when he has been available, he has certainly proved why the Brewers selected him in the first round of the 2020 MLB Draft.

Another option could be Tyler Black. Black has played both corner outfield and corner infield spots throughout his professional career, but profiles best as an outfielder going forward. Given the Brewers’ plethora of outfield options, including Jackson Chourio, Sal Frelick, Christian Yelich, Blake Perkins, Brandon Lockridge, Akil Baddoo, Steward Berroa, and Jake Bauers, all of whom are on the 40-man roster, the team could certainly sacrifice one of Mitchell or Black to improve their third base situation.

Acquiring Paredes for one, if not both, options frees up some of the roster jam, while also providing a proven option with some pop at third base. Certainly, Milwaukee could look elsewhere if the price tag is too high, but Paredes makes a lot of sense.