Caleb Durbin vs. Alex Bregman: Red Sox Doing Better Than Expected

It certainly seems like the Boston Red Sox made the right call.

Jul 3, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Boston Red Sox third baseman Caleb Durbin (5) runs the bases after hitting a solo home run against the Los Angeles Angels during the fifth inning at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

When the Boston Red Sox let Alex Bregman walk in free agency this past offseason, it brought a lot of heat on the organization.

Well, the Red Sox were generating a lot of hate before Bregman actually signed elsewhere as the process developed. Then, it was amplified when he actually signed on the dotted line in Chicago. Since then, Red Sox fans have certainly not forgotten about his stint in free agency and how Boston whiffed on him, despite publicly talking about him as the team's priority.

It was a mess of a situation, and yet the Red Sox are starting to look like they're coming out on top. After missing on Bregman, the Red Sox turned to the Milwaukee Brewers and traded Kyle Harrison and David Hamilton away in a package to bring Caleb Durbin to town. For the first few months of the season, this looked like a miss. Now, the deal looks like a steal.

Caleb Durbin vs. Alex Bregman

Jul 7, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Boston Red Sox third baseman Caleb Durbin (5) rounds second base while running against the Chicago White Sox during the ninth inning at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

While Bregman may have the bigger name, Durbin has actually been better overall this season, at a fraction of the cost. Bregman signed a five-year, $175 million deal with the Cubs. Durbin is making $796,000 this season and is under team control through the 2031 season.

So, Durbin is clearly cheaper, and he has been better overall than Bregman on the field.

	Caleb Durbin (BOS)	Alex Bregman (CHC)
Slash Line	.225/.288/.396	.238/.336/.342
OPS	.684	.677
Home Runs	9	7
RBIs	39	35
Stolen Bases	10	2
WAR	2.2	2.2
OAA	4	4

The offensive numbers are much closer than you'd expect to see from Durbin and Bregman. Durbin is in just his second year in the big leagues and had such a bad first few months of the season that the turnaround is somewhat shocking. But since May 28, he's slashing .297/.343/.578 with a .921 OPS, eight homers and 23 RBIs in 36 games.

If he can keep up that level of play from here on out, it's not even going to be a debate about who is having a better season by the time the 2026 season comes to an end.

Losing Bregman hurt the Red Sox. He was the veteran leader of the 2025 Red Sox and so losing him as a leader hurt almost as much as losing him as a player. Willson Contreras has stepped up and is the heart and soul of this club now. It would be great if the Red Sox could have another veteran voice with him leading the charge as well.

But from a production standpoint, Durbin has surprisingly been better than Bregman overall this season, especially when you take into account the fact that he's making a fraction of what the Cubs third baseman is making.