Brewers Owner Got High-Profile Phone Call After Red Sox Blockbuster

The Commissioner Emeritus was blown away...

Jun 27, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers third baseman Caleb Durbin (21) jogs onto the field during warmups prior to the game against the Colorado Rockies at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

Always count on the Milwaukee Brewers to deliver when you think the majority of the shockers have passed in any given offseason.

Having already cut bait with ace Freddy Peralta, the Brewers one-upped the shock value factor last week when they traded third baseman Caleb Durbin to the Boston Red Sox. No, Durbin hadn't yet established himself as a star, but he got better throughout his rookie season and was under cheap team control for the next six seasons.

The more you analyze the three players the Brewers got back from Boston, the more you start to see where Milwaukee thinks it can derive some value in places they needed it (especially strikeouts on the mound). But in the moment, lots of folks were stunned -- including a former Major League Baseball commissioner.

If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google.

What Bud Selig asked about Caleb Durbin deal

Baseball commissioner Bud Selig at a press conference prior to the 79th MLB All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx July 15, 2008. | Frank Becerra Jr / USA TODAY NETWORK

On Tuesday, Brewers owner Mark Attanasio revealed to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com that he received a shocked phone call from Commissioner Emeritus Bud Selig, who was also Attanasio's predecessor in Milwaukee.

“What are they telling you?” Selig asked Attanasio in what McCalvy depicted as a "mystified" tone.

Attanasio admitted that it was hard for him to come to grips with the Durbin deal as well. But he also didn't begrudge the way president of baseball operations Matt Arnold is doing the job, as the tactics the Brewers have used around trades for years have landed them in a good spot.

“Maybe the hardest thing about Matt’s job is he has to make hard decisions,” Attanasio said, per McCalvy. “The thing about this player is he not only super-performed above expectancy, but in a very tough (NLCS) against the Dodgers, he super-performed there, too, and he was a fan favorite, all the way up to Commissioner Selig. The easy decision is to just say, ‘Go as she goes,’ right?”

The Brewers certainly made a hard decision when it came to Durbin. Now, they just have to hope Kyle Harrison, David Hamilton, and/or Shane Drohan pays that decision off with a breakout.

More MLB: Brewers 22-Year-Old Addresses Roster Uncertainty After Luis Rengifo Signing