Opinion: Brewers gave up too soon on infielder Caleb Durbin

Caleb Durbin (YouTube)

There was a confusing trade made on Monday between the Boston Red Sox and Milwaukee Brewers. The Brewers sent infielders Caleb Durbin, Andruw Monasterio and Anthony Seigler to the Red Sox for left-handed pitcher Kyle Harrison, infielder David Hamilton and pitching prospect Shane Drohan.

The principal players in the trade were Durbin, Monasterio and Hamilton. It is very surprising that the Brewers are trading Durbin, a third baseman, who was third in National League voting for rookie of the year in 2025, and has a wealth of upside.

This past season, Durbin batted .256 with 11 home runs and 53 runs batted in. A workhorse in his first Major League season, Durbin played in 136 of the Brewers’s 162 games. He also had 445 at bats and 506 plate appearances. The native of Lake Forest, Illinois scored 60 runs and had 114 hits, 25 doubles, 18 stolen bases, 172 total bases, three sacrifice bunts, four sacrifice flies, an on base percentage of .334, and a slugging percentage of .387.

Monasterio played the last three seasons with the Brewers, and has seen time at all infield positions except catcher. In 2025, he batted .270 with four home runs and 16 runs batted in. During 68 games, 126 at bats, and 135 plate appearances, Monasterio of Caracas, Venezuela, scored 19 runs and had 34 hits, nine doubles, two stolen bases, seven walks, 55 total bases, an on base percentage of .319 and a slugging percentage of .437.

Harrison of San Jose, California, shared his time last season with the San Francisco Giants and Boston Red Sox. He had a record of 1-1, with sn earned run average of 4.04 in 11 games. Harrison had 38 strikeouts, compared to 14 walks.