Red Sox have Brewers to thank for confidence in Caleb Durbin’s defense

When the Boston Red Sox pried Caleb Durbin loose from the Milwaukee Brewers, the assumption was that he'd take over at second base, with top prospect Marcelo Mayer filling Alex Bregman's vacated spot at the hot corner.

This spring, though, the Crew's former rookie sensation hasn't given an inch on his position. He's spent all of spring at third base, and the Red Sox confirmed that Durbin will be their starting third baseman come Opening Day.

"I don't want Caleb to be moving from second to third during the season," Red Sox manager Alex Cora told the Boston media recently. "I want him to play one position only and then just go do your thing at the plate."

That's quite a leap from a year ago, when Durbin arrived at Brewers camp as a below-average fielder at the hot corner. After meticulous work with the coaching staff and infield guru Matt Erickson in particular, he's become so good that not even Mayer (a top prospect known for his glove) was able to unseat him.

So, yeah, you're welcome, Red Sox.

Former Brewer Caleb Durbin faces tall task of filling Alex Bregman's shoes

Of course, now that he's been named the Red Sox's starter, Durbin needs to focus on locking down a position that featured Alex Bregman and Rafael Devers a year ago. His bat will never live up to that level, of course, but another step forward on defense — he earned positive grades via Outs Above Average (+2) and Defensive Runs Saved (+5) last year — would go a long way to making Durbin a more seamless replacement.

There's good news for the Brewers tied up within this story, too. Now-third base coach Matt Erickson is still on staff, and his track record of leading brilliant infield defenses is long.

Durbin's own replacement in Milwaukee appears to be Luis Rengifo, who has never been a good defender at third base (-18 OAA, -6 DRS throughout his career). And yet, Rengifo's time with Erickson is already yielding positive results, providing hope that the Brewers' defense won't suffer too much without Durbin.

Likewise, it's not as if the team lost Durbin for nothing. Kyle Harrison and Shane Drohan offer immense upside for a fledgling rotation, and David Hamilton is already receiving immense praise from the Brewers' coaching staff.

There's a win-win scenario in play for this trade, even though the Red Sox are clearly benefiting from the Brewers' hard work with Durbin.