Baseball America suggests key Brewers acquisition could make Opening Day roster

Sometimes, things just make too much sense. No, this isn't one of those viral Tiktok trends of things "that just make sense", but by this time next year it very well could be. On December 13th, the Milwaukee Brewers traded Devin Williams to the Yankees for Nestor Cortes and Caleb Durbin. The move made sense for Milwaukee given Williams' contract status, something Brewers fans sadly see on a very regular basis.

Nestor Cortes got the top billing on the Brewers side of the deal, an established starting pitcher that will hopefully provide some stability to the ever-shifting rotation. Cortes was the Yankees 2024 Opening Day starter and was above average, despite a 9-10 record over his 31 appearances.

However, it is the other piece of this trade, Caleb Durbin, that may prove to be the bigger acquisition this season. Durbin is a rising star, coming off an Arizona Fall League campaign where he was named the AFL Breakout Prospect of the Year, after hitting for a .312 average, five home runs, and perhaps the most impressive feat, stealing 29 bases in 24 games, which broke a 30 year record in the league.

Caleb Durbin could end up being a steal for the Brewers as he pushes for an Opening Day roster spot

He was so impressive, that the Yankees added him to the 40 man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft this winter, indicating that he may very well be ready for the big leagues. Yankees skipper Aaron Boone gushed over Durbin to MiLB.com “I think he’s a stud, frankly,” before citing his contact skills, elite base stealing ability, and great glove up the middle, before finishing with, "I’m excited for him. I think he’s going to play a big role for us this upcoming season.”

Fortunately for Brewers fans, no matter your thoughts on the front office trading away another star in Devin Williams, instead of resigning him, Durbin very well could be a massive silver lining to the move. Durbin has the versatility that Pat Murphy loves, having spent multiple games at second base, shortstop, 3rd base, and even some outfield throughout 2024. He was able to register a 99.4% fielding percentage from 2nd, and 94.2% at 3rd according to baseball-reference.com metrics.

The Brewers will have a massive hole to fill in its infield in 2025 after shortstop Willy Adames left in free agency and signed with the Giants. Prior to the trade, Murphy told Foul Territory TV that while he thinks Platinum Glove winner Brice Turang would be more than capable of moving to shortstop, he would lean towards leaving Turang at second.

This leaves Joey Ortiz, Durbin, Andruw Monasterio, Oliver Dunn, and potentially Tyler Black, to play on the left side of the infield. Ortiz was the heir apparent at shortstop after the Brewers acquired him last spring, and but spent significant time at 3rd, where he played 134 games for Milwaukee last year, and 10 at shortstop. Black will likely stick to a platoon role at 1st with Rhys Hoskins, leaving one open spot.

A good spring training could propel Durbin to join the Brewers' Opening Day roster according to Baseball America, where he, Turang, and Ortiz could be defensive juggernaut especially with Durbin versatility to play all over the field. It makes sense for Durbin, and ultimately makes a lot of sense for the Brewers in both the long and short term.

More Brewers News from Reviewing the Brew