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Brewers INF Caleb Durbin (Photo by Mary DeCicco/MLB photos via Getty Images)
A few years ago, Caleb Durbin was a minor piece in a small trade. Last year, he was a key part of a trade for a significant reliever. Now, he’s the headliner of his own deal.
The Brewers sent Durbin and two other players to the Red Sox in a deal that helps Boston fill its remaining infield needs. In return, Milwaukee acquired three less-established players in return. ESPN’s Jeff Passan first reported the deal, while The Athletic’s Will Sammon filled out the rest of the Red Sox return.
RED SOX ACQUIRE
Caleb Durbin, 3B/2B
Age: 25
Durbin is coming off an excellent rookie season in which he showed his on-base skills translate to the major leagues. He can also provide enough defensive value to be a productive regular. Durbin had a 2.8 bWAR and a 2.6 fWAR season as he finished third in NL Rookie of the Year voting. He hit .256/.334/.387 with 11 home runs and 18 steals in 506 plate appearances.
Durbin is the rare Division III find. A Washington University in St. Louis product, Durbin was a 14th-round pick in 2021. The Braves traded him to the Yankees in a modest Dec. 2022 deal that sent Lucas Luetge to the Braves for Durbin and Indigo Diaz. Luetge posted a 7.24 ERA in 13.2 innings for the Braves in 2023, while Durbin fashioned himself into a versatile infielder. The Yankees then traded Durbin to the Brewers in December 2024 along with Nestor Cortes for reliever Devin Williams.
He can play second or third base capably, and he can even fill in at shortstop in an emergency. Durbin is 5-foot-7 and his value offensively is largely tied to his small strike zone, his excellent plate discipline and above-average bat control. He is extremely difficult to strike out and if a pitcher makes a mistake, he can pull it for extra bases. Fenway Park’s Green Monster should be a nice match for Durbin, as his extra-base juice is almost entirely to the pull side.
How he fits for the Red Sox will be an interesting discussion. With Marcelo Mayer also ready to contribute and Trevor Story set at shortstop, Durbin could slide to second base, or the Red Sox could move Mayer primarily to second base and let Durbin serve as the Alex Bregman replacement at third.
Anthony Seigler, INF/OF
Age: 26
Seigler was a first-round pick of the Yankees in 2018 as a catcher. His career seemed to be stalled in the upper minors as recently as 2024, but the Brewers signed him as a MiLB free agent and watched him blossom as a very versatile multi-positional backup who can work counts and get on base to some extent.
With the Brewers, Seigler primarily played third base, but he also has the ability to handle second base capably, and he hasn’t thrown away his catching gear. He did get to catch one inning in the majors last year and he started 22 games behind the plate at Triple-A Nashville.
Seigler drew some walks in the major leagues, but that was the extent of his offensive contributions. He was overmatched generally by MLB pitchers and rarely drove the ball over outfielders’ heads. He hit .194/.292/.210 in 73 plate appearances over 34 games in 2025.
Seigler has multiple options remaining and will likely be depth at Triple-A Worcester who can fill in as needed.
Andruw Monasterio, 3B/2B
Age: 28
Few teams find more value on the minor league free agent market than the Brewers. Much like Seigler, Monasterio is additional evidence. Originally signed by the Cubs in 2014 out of Venezuela, Monasterio was then traded to the Nationals who then sent him to the Guardians. Monasterio was an MiLB free agent who signed with the Brewers before the 2022 season. A year later, he made his MLB debut as a multi-positional infield backup.
He’s coming off his best year in the majors, as he hit .270/.319/.437 in 68 games and 135 plate appearances. A righthanded hitter with modest bat speed and power, Monasterio has a very pull-heavy approach. His fringy arm limits him defensively, but he’s surehanded at shortstop, second and third base. Monasterio has even filled in at first base and in left field.
Monasterio has used two options. With Isiah Kiner-Falefa on the Red Sox bench, he will be battling Seigler for a spot in Boston, but both will likely spend time in Worcester as well.
Compensatory Balance Pick Round B (Pick 67)
The Brewers’ compensatory pick is also a part of the trade. The bonus pool allotment for that pick was $1.285 million last year and will climb from that number this year. As much as the pick itself, that will give the Red Sox additional financial flexibility to be more creative with who they pick where. The Red Sox will pick 20th in the first round.
BREWERS RECEIVE
Kyle Harrison, LHP
Age: 24
Once one of the Giants’ best prospects, Harrison has long faced concerns about his control and command. Those remain worries, but he has been a relatively durable lefty starter. The Red Sox acquired him in last June’s Rafael Devers trade, but he spent most of his time in Triple-A. Harrison was 1-1, 4.04 in 35.2 MLB innings and 5-2, 3.66 in 76.1 Triple-A innings in 2025.
Harrison has used two options so far, so he likely could be on a similar up-and-down trajectory between Triple-A and the majors in 2026, but the Brewers have been able to get the most out of once-prominent pitching prospects. Quinn Priester’s success last year after a trade with the Red Sox is the most significant recent example.
Harrison’s mid-90s four-seam fastball has always been a promising pitch because of its above-average armside run and his above-average extension. Developing a better secondary offering remains his biggest question. His slurvy breaking ball and changeup aren’t particularly fearsome, especially if he’s falling behind in counts.
David Hamilton, SS
Age: 28
Originally selected by the Brewers in the eighth round of the 2019 draft, Hamilton is the embodiment of a utility infielder who can play three infield spots capably and provide speed on the basepaths. But his lack of offensive impact means he’s best playing sparingly rather than regularly.
Hamilton had his best MLB season in 2024, when he hit .248/.303/.395 in 317 plate appearances. The Red Sox asked him to play more than usual because of a string of injuries. Last year, he spent most of the season on the Red Sox bench, hitting .198/.257/.333 in 91 games.
Hamilton fits a need for the Brewers as a versatile defender who can capably play shortstop, second or third base with above-average range and an average arm. He is also a very successful basestealer with 57 steals in 68 career attempts.
Shane Drohan, LHP
Age: 27
Drohan currently ranks 15th on Baseball America’s updated Red Sox Top 30 Prospects rankings. Drohan has had a long and winding road to this point. A fifth-round pick out of Florida State in 2020, Drohan was left unprotected for the 2024 MLB Rule 5 draft after his stuff ticked down late in the 2023 season. The White Sox selected him, but he ended up needing nerve decompression surgery to resolve a shoulder issue. The White Sox offered him back to the Red Sox, and he showed the best stuff he had in years in early 2025.
With a mid-90s fastball that touched 97, Drohan now had four fringe-average to average pitches between his fastball, slider, curveball and changeup, and he’s worked on a cutter as well. A forearm irritation led to him getting shut down for almost three months in the mid-season, but he did return late in the year. He was added to the 40-man roster after the season, and is ready to serve as a multi-inning reliever/spot starter who could bounce between Triple-A and the majors.
Durability is the biggest question he faces. He topped 120 innings in both 2022 and 2023, but since then he’s thrown just 70.1 innings in two seasons. Drohan was 5-2, 3.00 with a 9.4% walk rate and a 34.5% strikeout rate between High-A Salem and Triple-A Worcester in 2025.