The Boston Red Sox lost Alex Bregman in free agency to the Chicago Cubs, but they made a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers to replace him with Caleb Durbin.
Early in the year, both players were struggling, but then Durbin got very hot at the plate. Since May 28, Durbin has a .289 batting average and a .816 OPS. Through his first 102 games, Bregman had just a .200 batting average, and through July it looked like the Red Sox made the right decision to move on from Bregman. Durbin was looking like a star, and Bregman was terrible. However, Bregman is suddenly looking like one of the best hitters in baseball.
Since the start of August, Bregman is slashing .304/.382/.638 with 13 home runs. He also has two three-homer games. He has the Cubs looking like a real threat in the National League, and his five-year, $175 million deal looks worth every penny.
Durbin has cooled down a little since his hot two-month stretch, but is still hitting .258. He is a huge reason the Red Sox have turned their season around, but he is clearly not the star that Bregman is, at least not yet. Durbin is still cheaper than Bregman and under club control for years to come, but it's hard to argue that Bregman would not put the Red Sox in a better position to win the World Series right now.
Bregman's OPS is up to .793 for the season, and he is six home runs shy of 30. With how he has swung the bat lately, that is not out of reach. He had a resurgent year for the Red Sox last season, but since August, he has looked even better than he did in Boston.
The Red Sox reportedly offered him a five-year, $165 million deal with deferrals, but did not want to include a no-trade clause. Now, it is starting to look like a miscalculation.