Red Sox trade for 3rd baseman from Brewers
The Sox dealt from a position of strength in packaging a starting pitcher in a swap for a new third baseman.
The Red Sox have shored up their third base depth via trade.
As reported Monday morning by Jeff Passan, the Red Sox are acquiring third baseman Caleb Durbin from the Milwaukee Brewers. Durbin is coming off a solid rookie season that included a third-place finish in National League Rookie of the Year voting. Durbin hit 11 home runs and 25 doubles in 446 at-bats over 136 games, while stealing 18 bases. He was also tough to strike out, with only 50 over the course of the season.
Mark Feinsand later reported the full trade, a six-player deal: the Red Sox get Durbin, infielders Andruw Monasterio and Anthony Siegler, and a competitive balance round B draft pick. The Brewers got pitchers Kyle Harrison and Shane Drohan, and infielder David Hamilton.
The Red Sox are reportedly planning on leaning on former top prospect Marcelo Mayer to transition to a full-time role at third base, where he filled in last year while Alex Bregman missed time due to injury. Durbin has the potential to at least serve as a solid backup, and also played second base and shortstop for the Brewers last year. At the very least, Durbin has a chance to be an upgrade over Hamilton at the utility infielder spot.
Boston dealt from a position of strength (starting pitching depth) to get Durbin, so on the surface, it feels like a worthwhile move to improve the roster on the margins. At the same time, all it does is underline what's been a disappointing off-season from a spending standpoint.
