Red Sox acquire third baseman Caleb Durbin in trade with Brewers

"We'll have more on Durbin soon, but the quick and dirty is that he plays a position of need, bats from the right side of the plate, and had a strong if unspectacular rookie year for the Brewers in 2025, slashing .256/.338/.387 with 11 homers and 18 steals in 136 games. His OPS+ was right at league average at 101, while his WAR numbers were 2.8 from Baseball Reference and 2.6 from FanGraphs."

"His offensive value comes from a good batting eye and a near elite ability to make contact and avoid strikeouts. The 9.9% strikeout rate he posted last year would have easily been the best mark on the Red Sox, nearly two full points lower than the next best rate, posted by Masataka Yoshida. He's a pull hitter so moving to Fenway could give him a boost in the power department,"

"Defensively, he's still learning to play third after bouncing around the diamond throughout the minors (where he actually spent more time at second). He doesn't have a particularly strong arm and he had exactly zero Outs Above Average last year, making him (duh) exactly average in the field. Given that he's still relatively new to the position, there might be some room for growth there."

The Boston Red Sox acquired 25-year-old Caleb Durbin from the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for Kyle Harrison, David Hamilton, and Shane Drohan. Durbin hit .256/.338/.387 with 11 home runs and 18 steals in 136 games in 2025, recording an OPS+ of 101 and roughly 2.6–2.8 WAR. Durbin offers exceptional contact skills and a 9.9% strikeout rate, but very little raw power due to size and slow bat speed; Fenway's dimensions may modestly help his pull power. He is relatively new to third base, posted zero Outs Above Average, and projects as an average defender with potential for improvement. The package to Boston also includes Andruw Monasterio, Anthony Siegler, and a compensation draft pick, with limited upside expected from the two veteran minor-league infielders.

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