How the Brewers can replace Caleb Durbin at third base in 2026

Caleb Durbin was one of the most resounding success stories during the Milwaukee Brewers' magical 2025 season, originally arriving as the centerpiece in the Devin Williams trade and finishing the campaign as a core piece of the roster.

The 25-year-old emerged as the team's starting third baseman, accruing two Outs Above Average and five Defensive Runs Saved at the position. He was just as good at the plate, hitting .256/.334/.387 with 11 home runs and 18 steals, good for a 105 wRC+.

His well-rounded production (2.6 fWAR) was good enough to earn him third-place in National League Rookie of the Year voting, which, in conjunction with his six remaining years of team control, suggested a long and bright future for him in Milwaukee.

Alas, the Brewers jumped the gun, trading Durbin after just one season to the Boston Red Sox in a six-player swap that brought back pitchers Kyle Harrison and Shane Drohan, plus utility infielder David Hamilton. Seeing as the trade eviscerated their third base depth — Andruw Monasterio and Anthony Seigler were traded away as well — the Crew now need to find a way to replace Durbin's production at third base.

Luckily, it may not be as difficult as you'd think.

Brewers have options on the trade market to fill Caleb Durbin's vacated shoes at 3B

It's true that trading so much team control and versatility for a pair of pitchers who haven't made their mark in the big leagues and a reserve infielder who can't hit is bizarre, at least on paper. This certainly wasn't the typical type of value trade the front office tends to make.

But it's clear that there's a longer-term plan here. The Brewers didn't just trade their three-best third base options to the Red Sox because they felt like helping out Craig Breslow. Something else is coming, and it's possible that it could be big.

Free agency doesn't offer much in the way of promising solutions — Enrique Hernández and Luis Rengifo may be the best available options — but the trade market is rife with targets. Isaac Paredes has been on the block since the offseason began, and CJ Abrams has become a marquee name floating in the rumor mill. Neither is the type of cost-controlled, high-floor player the Brewers love to target, but perhaps the Crew have recognized they need a bit more star power to take on the Los Angeles Dodgers in the playoffs.

In terms of specific trade partners, the San Diego Padres stand out as a logical fit. They need the kind of pitching depth the Brewers are now replete with, and they have the position player depth to hand Milwaukee a new starter at the hot corner. However, uness Mark Attanasio was just visited by the ghost of baseball past, Manny Machado is probably off the table, and the Padres lack enticing options outside of the 7x All-Star.

The Baltimore Orioles and New York Mets, with whom the Brewers have already talked often this winter, have a couple of former top third base prospects who could be worth monitoring as well. Baltimore's Coby Mayo and New York's Brett Baty could certainly net either team one of the Brewers' many rotation options if they ant to bolster their starting pitching depth.

Finally, the Texas Rangers are worth keeping an eye on as well. Texas could look to turn either Josh Jung or Josh Smith into a controllable pitcher, which would effectively open up a spot in the infield for top prospect Sebastian Walcott, who is expected to debut in 2026. Of the two, Jung has the higher ceiling, but injuries have stalled his career after his breakout 2023 season.

For as good as Durbin looked in his rookie campaign, he was due for regression at the plate thanks to his inability to make hard contact. Selling high on him was a wise move — now, the front office needs to compound it with another smart addition to replace him.