Evaluating Brewers-Red Sox Caleb Durbin Trade After Shane Drohan's Debut

The Milwaukee Brewers made a few big trades this offseason to push their team in the right direction. Following a 97 win regular season, the Brewers sent Freddy Peralta to the New York Mets, Isaac Collins to the Kansas City Royals, and Caleb Durbin to the Boston Red Sox.

The Durbin trade was the most shocking of the three. The Brewers sent Durbin, Andruw Monasterio, Anthony Seigler, and a competitive balance round B pick to the Red Sox in exchange for Kyle Harrison, Shane Drohan, and David Hamilton.

A few months after this trade, Drohan was called up to Milwaukee to debut in the big leagues against Durbin and the Red Sox. It was a full circle moment. But the lefty didn't have the outing that he would have liked.

Shane Drohan struggles in debut against Red Sox

Feb 27, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Shane Drohan against the Chicago White Sox during a spring training game at American Family Fields of Phoenix. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Drohan struggled against the Red Sox in his debut. He finished the day with a line of 2 2/3 innings pitched, three hits allowed, four walks, three earned runs, and two strikeouts. He was pulled in the third inning after 63 pitches, with only 28 of them being strikes. According to Brewers beat writer Curt Hogg, this was the second-lowest strike percentage by any Brewers pitcher with at least 50 pitches thrown in a single game since 2008.

When players imagine their debut, this isn't how it goes down in their head. But that doesn't mean Drohan isn't an incredibly talented pitcher. He still has the chance to make an impact for the Brewers in the near future.

Brewers are still sitting pretty with the Caleb Durbin trade

Apr 4, 2026; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox third baseman Caleb Durbin (5) makes a catch and throw to first base for an out against the San Diego Padres during the seventh inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Overall, the trade looks good for the Brewers. Drohan may not have put together the best debut, but Milwaukee is still very high on him. The potential is there. The consistency in the strike zone was not there on Wednesday.

Hamilton has looked solid early in the year. He's 5 for 20 with seven runs scored and a .500 on-base percentage early in the season. Harrison has looked very good, too, tossing 10 1/3 innings across two starts to begin the season. In these two starts, Harrison has surrendered seven hits and three earned runs while striking out 14 hitters. His command of the strike zone has looked as good as it ever has, as he's only walked three hitters.

To make matters better for the Brewers, Durbin is struggling tremendously in Boston. It might have been the perfect time to sell high on the former Rookie of the Year candidate.