MILWAUKEE — Third baseman Caleb Durbin was traded Monday to the Boston Red Sox in a six-player deal with the Milwaukee Brewers, after finishing third in National League Rookie of the Year voting last year.
Milwaukee acquired left-handers Kyle Harrison and Shane Drohan and infielder David Hamilton from Boston for Durbin as well as infielders Andruw Monasterio and Anthony Seigler. The Red Sox also receive a competitive Round B pick in July’s amateur draft, around 67th overall.
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Durbin, who turns 26 on Feb. 22, could fill Boston’s opening at third base created when Alex Bregman left as a free agent to sign a five-year, $175 million contract with the Chicago Cubs.
The 5-foot-7 Durbin, who plays third base and second base, hit .256 with a .334 on-base percentage, 11 homers and 18 steals in 136 games while helping the Brewers win a third straight NL Central title and reach the NL Championship Series last season.
Milwaukee acquired Durbin and left-hander Nestor Cortes from the New York Yankees for closer Devin Williams.
The Brewers finished third and fourth in voting for the 2025 NL Rookie of the Year award, which went to Atlanta Braves catcher Drake Baldwin, but neither player remains with the organization. Outfielder Isaac Collins, who finished fourth in the voting, went to Kansas City with pitcher Nick Mears in a December trade that brought left-handed pitcher Angel Zerpa to Milwaukee.
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Durbin’s exit from Milwaukee leaves the Brewers with an apparent opening at third. Joey Ortiz was the Brewers’ starting third baseman in 2024, but moved to shortstop last season. Hamilton, among the players coming from Boston, played one game at third base last year, but primarily worked at second base and shortstop.
Boston also gained depth on the field.
After losing Bregman, the Red Sox selected Willson Contreras to play first base and Durbin can now play second or third.
Director of baseball Craig Breslow said the team hasn’t decided where Durbin will play, but said he expects him to be a regular starter.
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“We’re just excited to bring a really good player into the organization and we’ll figure out where he fits best,” Breslow said. “It just doesn’t seem to make sense to commit to anything right now.”
Monasterio, a 28-year-old with experience at every position on the field, hit .270 with a .319 on-base percentage, four home runs and 16 RBIs in 68 games last season. Seigler, 26, hit .194 with a .292 on-base percentage, no homers and five RBIs in 34 games.
Harrison, 24, was a combined 1-1 with a 4.56 ERA in eight appearances for the Red Sox and San Francisco last year. He came to Boston as part of the 2025 trade that sent Rafael Devers to San Francisco.
Hamilton, 28, hit .198 with a .257 on-base percentage, six homers, 19 RBIs and 22 steals for Boston last year. This follows a 2024 season in which he hit .248 with a .303 on-base percentage, eight home runs, 28 RBIs and 33 steals in 98 games.
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Milwaukee selected Hamilton out of Texas in the eighth round of the 2019 draft, then sent him to the Red Sox as part of a 2021 trade that brought outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. to Milwaukee.
Drohan, 27, has never pitched in the majors. He went 5-2 with a 3.17 ERA and 77 strikeouts in 54 innings in 15 combined appearances with Triple-A Worcester and High-A Greenville last season.
