The Boston Red Sox acquired Caleb Durbin in a six-player deal with the Milwaukee Brewers in the offseason, and both sides are benefiting from the deal.
It's rare for a trade to help both teams as much as this one has, but the question is, which team actually won the deal? The Brewers acquired Kyle Harrison, Shane Drohan and David Hamilton for Durbin, Andruw Monasterio and Anthony Seigler.
All six players are in the big leagues, but the Brewers may be getting more out of their return. Harrison and Drohan are part of the Brewers' elite starting rotation, and Hamilton plays nearly every day at third base, sharing some time with Joey Ortiz. Durbin has proven his worth after turning his season around, and Monasterio and Seigler are key utility players for the Red Sox. Monasterio has had to play more often thanks to infield injuries, but he has come up big a few times.
Durbin started off the year extremely slowly, and it was looking like the Red Sox made a huge mistake. However, since back-to-back days on the bench in May, he has been scoring hot. After that benching, he is slashing .313/.377/.526 with 10 home runs, 13 doubles, a triple and nine stolen bases. He has struck out just 29 times in his last 239 plate appearances.
Durbin is no longer just hot at the plate; he's simply that good. Defensively, he has been a wizard at third base, and the Red Sox look like geniuses to let Alex Bregman walk in favor of Durbin. However, for as much as the Red Sox have gotten out of Durbin and Monasterio, the Brewers may be getting more out of Drohan and Harrison.
Harrison has been one of the best pitchers in baseball this year. He is the No. 2 starter on the team with the most wins in baseball. He has a 2.84 ERA in 18 starts, and that number would be lower if not for a game in Las Vegas and him pitching through an injury in his last couple of starts before the All-Star Game. He has 111 strikeouts on the season. Drohan has also established himself in the rotation after a rocky start.
His first start was terrible, and he was moved to the bullpen in a long relief role. However, injuries forced him back into the rotation. Five of his last 11 starts have been quality starts, and he has a 3.48 ERA on the year. He is the Brewers' No. 5 starter and could end up starting a postseason game. The Brewers have won seven of his last 11 starts.
Ultimately, Durbin has been sensational for the Red Sox, but the Red Sox seem to have given up two controllable starters who are both thriving. Monasterio and Seigler are not going to be starters when the Red Sox are healthy, but Hamilton might be. While the Red Sox are certainly happy with Durbin, the Brewers may have the slight edge when it comes to winning the trade.