Brewers shockingly trade 2025 NL Rookie of the Year finalist Caleb Durbin to Red Sox

Wow, what a start to "pitchers and catchers week." Just two days before the Milwaukee Brewers' group of pitchers officially reports to American Family Fields of Phoenix, the front office has made a stunning addition to the group, and it cost them a 2025 NL Rookie of the Year finalist. As reported by Jeff Passan of ESPN, the Brewers have traded Caleb Durbin to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for left-handed starter Kyle Harrison in a six-player swap.

While Durbin and Harrison, a 24-year-old southpaw, are absolutely the headliners of this trade, there are four other players included in the deal -- all of whom were on either the Brewers' or Red Sox' 40-man roster prior to the swap. The Athletic's Will Sammon was first on the entire trade package.

In the end, the Brewers gave up three infielders, Durbin, Andruw Monasterio, and Anthony Seigler, and a 2026 Competitive Balance Round B draft pick, in exchange for Harrison, infielder David Hamilton, a Brewers' draft pick back in 2019, and left-handed pitching prospect Shane Drohan, Boston's No. 30-ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline.

Brewers trade Caleb Durbin, Andruw Monasterio, Anthony Seigler and Comp B draft pick to Boston Red Sox for Kyle Harrison, David Hamilton, and Shane Drohan

Simply put, it's a stunning move from the Brewers' front office. Milwaukee traded for Durbin last offseason; he put together an exceptional rookie season, and now they move on from him before he can prove it wasn't a fluke. But not only does Durbin head to Boston, the Brewers effectively cleaned out their entire infield depth in this stunning late-offseason trade with the Red Sox. Monasterio and Seigler were expected to compete for the utility infielder role in 2026, and now not only will Milwaukee have to fill that role, but they need to figure out who their starting third baseman is.

That said, signs were pointing to some regression in Durbin's numbers this upcoming season, and maybe the Brewers, as they so often do, moved on at the right time. The return is an interesting one for Milwaukee, who was in need of a left-hander in their starting rotation. While many were expecting them to go the veteran route, and that could certainly still happen, Matt Arnold adds a controllable southpaw in Harrison to the rotation mix.

Harrison, who has five years of team control remaining, was a key piece in the Rafael Devers blockbuster last offseason, and has the potential to really impact the Brewers' rotation in 2026 and beyond. He was MLB Pipeline's No. 23-ranked prospect in all of baseball back in 2024, and has 37 major-league starts to his name. His 4.39 career ERA might not turn any heads, but given his prospect pedigree and strong fastball-slurve combination, which he pairs with a decent cutter and a serviceable changeup, Harrison could be an impactful starter in Milwaukee for the foreseeable future.

Meanwhile, the other aspects of this trade should not be overlooked. Monasterio and Seigler were effective infield depth, but neither projected to be more than a utility infielder, which is an easily replaceable position, especially with a deep farm system like Milwaukee's. Hamilton, who has a similar offensive profile to Monasterio, and is under team control for the next four seasons, replaces some of that infield depth, with the ability to play shortstop, second base, and third base.

Then there's Drohan, who is certainly an intriguing addition for the Brewers. The 27-year-old left-hander has yet to make his debut, but he's coming off a season in which he posted a 2.27 ERA in 11 Triple-A starts. He's battled injuries in recent seasons, but improvements to his fastball and slider, rather than luck, were the reasons for his strong numbers in Triple-A last year.

It's a stunning late-offseason trade for the Brewers -- one that sells high on the impressive rookie season of Durbin, for more controllable pitching, which you can never have enough of. With the Brewers' infield depth cleared out, and a hole at third base, expect another move, or a series of moves to still occur in the coming days.

Much more to come on this trade and what it means for the Brewers going forward.