The Boston Red Sox have officially completed the Caleb Durbin trade with the Milwaukee Brewers, bringing the deal to its final conclusion and renewing debate over which club ultimately got the better return.
With every piece of the trade now in place, it’s possible to fully evaluate the transaction, comparing what each team gave up, what they received and who appears to have gained the long-term advantage.
The final piece was put in place Saturday, when Boston used the competitive balance pick it received in the trade to select outfielder Owen Hull with the 67th pick in this year’s MLB Draft.
Owen Hull’s Path to the Boston Red Sox
Hull is a 21-year-old outfielder out of Alexandria, Virginia, listed at 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, according to UNC Athletics. He started his college career at George Mason, then transferred to North Carolina for his junior season.
The move paid off immediately. Hull hit .393 with a .500 on-base percentage in 2026, piling up 103 hits, second in the country, and 27 doubles, third nationally, according to a report from Tar Heels Wire‘s Brooks Kirst.
He added nine home runs, drove in 87 runs and walked nearly as often as he struck out, numbers that helped land him First Team All-America and All-ACC honors. He shifted to center field for the Tar Heels and showed off the speed to stay there, stealing 18 bases.
Scouts view his bat speed as still developing, but his combination of contact skills, discipline and outfield range made him a logical target at the back of the Competitive Balance Round. Hull carried a slot value near $1.32 million and landed roughly in the 60-to-67 range on the industry’s top draft boards, according to MLB.com‘s analysis. The pick came after Boston used its first-round selection at No. 20 this year on another Tar Heel, Jake Schaffner.
Making Sense of the Full Caleb Durbin Trade
Boston acquired Durbin, infielder Andruw Monasterio, utility man Anthony Seigler and the pick that became Hull by sending left-hander Kyle Harrison, infielder David Hamilton and left-hander Shane Drohan to Milwaukee on February 9, according to MLB Trade Rumors’ breakdown.
Durbin arrived as a finalist for 2025 National League Rookie of the Year, a switch-hitting infielder who slashed .256/.334/.387 with 11 homers and 18 stolen bases in his debut season with Milwaukee. Boston wanted a solid replacement for the departed Alex Bregman at third base. The Brewers wanted rotation depth and speed on the infield.
Harrison, who was acquired by the Red Sox in the 2025 Rafael Devers trade, has been a rotation fixture, going 8-2 with a 3.01 ERA and 101 strikeouts across 17 starts, according to MLB.com‘s player page. But over his last four starts, the left-hander faded, allowing 10 earned runs on 16 hits in 18 innings. The Brewers placed Harrison on the 15-day injured list Saturday with “left forearm tightness,” a condition that in about one of every five cases ends with Tommy John surgery or a similar elbow repair procedure.
Hamilton has chipped in a steady glove at .238 with 18 steals, and Drohan has posted a 3.09 ERA in relief and spot starts, according to a recent NESN review of the trade.
Durbin, meanwhile, got off to a dismal start in April and May, batting just .183 with just one home run. But he turned his season around in June and July, hitting .294 in those months while blasting eight round-trippers.
Seigler was called up and inserted into the starting lineup on June 20. In his 18 games the Red Sox have a 13-5 record while the former New York Yankees first-round pick had posted a .797 OPS. Monasterio has served as a solid utility player, but has picked up his production at the plate with more regular playing time, compiling a .912 OPS over his last six starts.
That leaves Hull as Boston’s final piece in the return on the trade. He’s unsigned as of draft night, but if his junior-year production translates, the pick at the bottom of the deal could end up making the deal a clear win for the Red Sox and their chief baseball officer Craig Breslow.
Red Sox Finally Complete Caleb Durbin Trade With Brewers: Who Won?