In a move that seemingly came out of nowhere, the Milwaukee Brewers have traded third baseman Caleb Durbin, utility infielders Andruw Monasterio and Anthony Seigler, and their competitive balance B pick to the Boston Red Sox. In return, Milwaukee has acquired left-handed starter Kyle Harrison, infielder David Hamilton, and minor league left-hander Shane Drohan.
Harrison, 24, was ranked as a top 25 prospect in the league prior to the 2024 season by both Baseball America and MLB Pipeline. He made his major league debut with the Giants in 2023 but was the centerpiece of San Francisco’s deal for Rafael Devers in June of last year. In 42 career appearances (37 starts, 194 2/3 innings) Harrison has a 4.39 ERA, 4.43 FIP, and 2.85 K:BB ratio. In the minors, though, Harrison has a 3.39 ERA in over 350 innings and has struck out 13.7 batters per nine, a massive number for a starter.
Hamilton, 28, is a speedy, versatile defender who doesn’t hit much. A former draft pick by the Brewers, he was sent to the Red Sox in the Hunter Renfroe trade a few years back. He was a very good player in 2024, when at 26 years old he hit .248/.303/.395 (96 OPS+) in 98 games and played good defense split between second base and shortstop. He earned 2.6 bWAR that season, but was unable to replicate that success in 2025, when he hit just .198/.257/.333 in 194 plate appearances across 91 games.
Drohan has yet to make his major league debut. He turned 27 last month and was a 2020 fifth-round pick by Boston. Drohan missed much of the 2025 season with “forearm inflammation,” but when he was healthy, he was excellent: in 47 2/3 innings at Triple-A Worcester, he had a 2.27 ERA, 12.7 K/9, and 3.0 BB/9.
Durbin was the Brewers’ starting third baseman in 2025, a role that now seems up for grabs. He was a big part of the Brewers’ 97-win team last year and earned 2.8 WAR in a promising rookie season. He doesn’t turn 26 until later this month and won’t be a free agent until he’s past his prime, and it seemed like Durbin would be a big part of the Brewers’ future. While there are some reasons to be skeptical of his offensive game given his Statcast numbers, the move is quite a surprise.
Monasterio has been the team’s primary utility infielder for the past three seasons and has been solid, likable, and reliable in that role. Seigler had a disappointing first season in the majors, but there were reasons for optimism in some of his underlying numbers and he was another versatile player.
Hamilton can certainly replace Monasterio in the utility infield role, but we now have a real question on our hands: who is the Brewers’ starting third baseman on opening day?
