Red Sox's Best Steal From Brewers Blockbuster May Still Be Coming

Have to love what we're seeing in the minors...

Dec 9, 2024; Dallas, TX, USA; Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow speaks with the media at the Hilton Anatole during the 2024 MLB Winter Meetings. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

We've been evaluating and re-evaluating the big February trade the Boston Red Sox made with the Milwaukee Brewers for seven months now. But the best things in Major League Baseball take time to blossom.

At first, the deal looked like a disaster when Kyle Harrison was putting up Cy Young numbers in Milwaukee. Then Caleb Durbin had his summer hot streak, and as of early September, both players are cold. Both teams have also gotten valuable contributions from the other two big-leaguers they landed.

But as sharp Red Sox fans are aware, Boston got one more very appealing asset in the deal. And that asset, recently drafted outfielder Owen Hull, has been going gangbusters at High-A since landing in the Red Sox organization.

Why Red Sox should be ecstatic about Hull

Jun 21, 2026; Omaha, NE, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels center fielder Owen Hull (8) circles the bases after hitting a home run against the Oklahoma Sooners during the fifth inning at Charles Schwab Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Hull seemed like an excellent pickup at the time of the draft in July, when the Red Sox took him with their second-round compensation pick that came from the Brewers. Not only had he shown off tremendous all-around offensive abilities in the biggest games with the North Carolina Tar Heels, but he was coming to the organization with his college road trip roommate, Red Sox first-round pick Jake Schaffner.

And even if it's only been 24 games, we can look at the numbers in High-A and start dreaming about the type of big-leaguer Hull could be. His .337/.436/.531 slash line with a 17:16 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 117 plate appearances hint at a potential table-setter with some thump — think Roman Anthony-lite, or maybe peak Trot Nixon.

But it's the intangibles that should have fans perhaps just as excited as the play on the field so far. Just read what Red Sox area scout Spencer Brown, who was responsible for evaluating UNC for the Sox this year, had to say about both Hull and Schaffner this week.

“They know how to be baseball players, not just showcase ponies,” said Brown, per Alex Speier of The Boston Globe. “Those kids know how to compete. We are, and the Red Sox fans are, going to be proud of the way they do it every single day. Whether it’s in Greenville or Boston, they’re going to bring it.”

Yes, we're setting lofty expectations for a 21-year-old who hasn't yet seen Double-A. But it's really hard not to get excited about the tools, the makeup, and the potential to call Hull the best piece of the Brewers trade someday.