Will the Brewers Make Another Caleb Durbin Trade This Offseason?

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In hindsight, the move looks like a stroke of genius on the part of the Brewers. Caleb Durbin is a fine player—he ended up being a catalyst of the Red Sox's run to the American League Wild Card Series in 2026—but the Brewers sold him at the peak of his value. He had just finished third in Rookie of the Year balloting, and they flipped him for three solid pieces who each had roughly as much team control remaining as Durbin himself. Yes, Milwaukee had to throw in Andruw Monasterio and Anthony Seigler, but they got back David Hamilton (a player much in the mold of those two, but better) and added two high-upside left-handed pitchers. Even if Kyle Harrison and Shane Drohan hadn't been as good as they each were at times this year, that would have been a good gamble. In the afterglow of winning the World Series, the move feels like a huge part of the greatest story in franchise history.

It could have really blown up on them, though. By making the move, they were expressing their faith in their own infield depth, but they also immediately supplemented it by signing Luis Rengifo. One of the key players on whom they were betting was Jett Williams, whom they had just acquired in the Freddy Peralta trade. Williams never got out of the minor leagues in 2026. Rengifo busted, for the Brewers, though he subsequently found success in San Diego. Third base briefly became a scar on their depth chart. Only when their Plan C—calling up Cooper Pratt and sliding Joey Ortiz over to third, to share time with Hamilton—panned out did they turn the corner from good to great as a team. They got mildly lucky that the trade didn't derail their season by creating a hole in a lineup that thrived because it didn't have any.

The important thing to remember is that that move really wasn't Milwaukee's idea. They were in the market for more pitching depth, but they weren't actively shopping Durbin. When the Red Sox lost out in their bid to re-sign Alex Bregman, they pivoted to the trade market, and the offer they made was too good to refuse. The value-focused front office reacted to what came their way, and in the end, it worked out perfectly.

That could happen again this winter—though, as with the Durbin deal, it's much more likely to happen near the beginning of next year (in this case, after the looming lockout) than at the front end of the offseason. The team doesn't need to trade Ortiz or Garrett Mitchell, and they won't go hunting for suitors on either of them. However, when the music stops, some team will be left without a satisfactory solution either on the left side of the infield or in center field. If that team comes to the Brewers with a package akin to what the Red Sox offered them for Durbin, the Brewers will probably accept it again.

Though Ortiz and Mitchell proved their value throughout this season, each is now arbitration-eligible. That makes them slightly different from Durbin, and could mean that they fetch slightly less in trade. However, each is still under team control for multiple seasons (two for Mitchell, three for Ortiz) and each will come at a relatively low financial cost, compared to similarly talented players at similar stages of their careers. As a result, the Brewers can afford to keep both. They can also afford to trade either, or both.

Luis Lara, Sal Frelick and Jackson Chourio can each play center field, if needed. Brandon Lockridge's injury compromised what had a chance to be a breakthrough season, but he's a fine fourth or fifth outfielder, and the Brewers have more help on the way in the outfield, too. For one thing, Williams might fit there, given his great speed. For another, 2024 first-round pick Braylon Payne made some loud noises this season. For a third (and perhaps the most important), Josh Adamczewski looks like a plus hitter with pop who's nearly ready, and though he would need to play left field, Chourio's versatility means that's no problem.

On the dirt, the team is just as deep. In addtion to Hamilton and Cooper, Williams could be in the mix at third base if he has a strong spring, and Andrew Fischer isn't far from the majors—though his best fit might be at first base, instead. Most importantly, 2027 should see the debut of Jesús Made, on about the same timeline as Pratt's June arrival in 2026. That means that any trade of Ortiz would only leave the team needing to patch a short-term hole on the infield, and (in Hamilton) they already have a player they like and trust to do so.

None of those options, with the reconfigurations they would require or the slight gaps they would leave while young players matriculate, are ineluctably preferable to keeping Mitchell and Ortiz. However, a team in a pinch might come to them with an offer for one of those players that fixes one of those drawbacks or that improves their depth so much that it becomes a positive proposition, in terms of expected value. If that happens, count on the Twins making the move. It won't happen imminently, but between now and Opening Day, it's possible the team makes another Durbin-style trade—perhaps paving the road to their second straight World Series win.