Yankees’ Aaron Boone Had Tough Time Letting Red Sox’s Caleb Durbin Go

Boston Red Sox fans should be excited about Caleb Durbin.

Feb 22, 2026; Fort Myers, Florida, USA; Boston Red Sox infielder Caleb Durbin (17) is congratulated by infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa (2) after he scored during the first inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at JetBlue Park at Fenway South. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

After months of trade rumors, the Boston Red Sox seemingly came out of nowhere to land young infielder Caleb Durbin from the Milwaukee Brewers in a deal centered around lefty starting pitcher Kyle Harrison.

The Red Sox were linked to a handful of options, including Ketel Marte, Brendan Donovan, Nico Hoerner, Matt Shaw and Isaas Paredes, among others. Durbin's name wasn't out there in speculation like the other guys mentioned. Then, all of a sudden, he was a member of the Red Sox. It was a good move by Boston and Durbin has looked electric in Spring Training so far.

If his Spring Training performance isn't enough to get Red Sox fans excited, another thing that should be is what New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone had to say about him, as transcribed by MLB.com's Ian Browne.

The Red Sox made a great move

Caleb Durbin of the Boston Red Sox throws an out during spring training game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at JetBlue Park in Fort Myers on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. I | Andrew West/The News-Press & Naples Daily News/USA Today Network / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn

"I remember it being hard to trade him,” Boone said, as transcribed by Browne. “I like the player. Just does a lot of things well. Just a good ballplayer, all around. Can play multiple positions. Has the running game in there. Has a little bit of sock, but really good bat-to-ball skills. Knows the zone. Even though we were getting a frontline closer, which I was excited about, it was hard to see Durbin go just because he is a quality player.”

Boston got Durbin from the Brewers. It was his second straight offseason getting traded. The Yankees traded Durbin to the Brewers in a deal around veteran closer Devin Williams ahead of the 2025 season. Durbin made his big league debut in 2025 with Milwaukee and finished third in the National League Rookie of the Year Award race.

The Yankees needed a closer, which is what led to the deal last offseason in general. But Boone's comments show how the Red Sox's biggest rival felt about Boston's new infielder. What makes him even better is the fact that he's under team control through the 2031 season.

The Red Sox had a rollercoaster of an offseason, but comments like these from Boone, add even more fuel to the fire that Boston pivoted well.