Durbin to Red Sox
On Monday morning, the Milwaukee Brewers traded infielder Caleb Durbin to the Boston Red Sox. The Brew Crew had acquired him last season, along with Nestor Cortes Jr., for All-Star Closer Devin Williams from the New York Yankees. The Brewers have once again flipped a player at what they perceive as peak value to put their organization in a stronger position. From a Brewers perspective, they have a lot of faith in Joey Ortiz to man the 3rd base position, while newly acquired Jett Williams from the New York Mets has a chance to shine at shortstop.
For the Red Sox, this is a chance to replace All-Star Third baseman Alex Bregman. Bregman went to the Chicago Cubs a month ago in a shocking result. The whole baseball industry was stunned at this move as Bregman’s return to the Red Sox felt like a match made in heaven, but it seems like Boston wanted it more than Bregman. Boston sees Starting Pitcher Kyle Harrison headed to Milwaukee in the deal. He was a centerpiece in the deal that sent their old third baseman, Rafael Devers, to the San Francisco Giants last summer. That is now the second piece of that deal they have parted with since last summer. The other part was outfield prospect James Thibbs. He was sent to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the deadline deal that brought Dustin May to Boston on a rental contract.
Overall, this deal for Caleb Durbin seems to indicate the Brewers do not believe in his long-term success. I do not think that they were looking for pitching depth (even though you can never have enough) because of the fact that they are loaded there, even with the departure of Freddy Peralta to the Mets. I think the deal is most favorable for the Boston Red Sox. They acquired a solid, young, and pesky infielder to play a position for them that they desperately needed. He also may play second base, and Marcelo Meyer would lock down third. Durbin had a very repeatable, 2.8 WAR, .256 BA, .334 OBP season. He is an elite contact bat that does not chase outside the zone. He should be pesky in that division and add to the lineup rather than subtract.
Red Sox: A-
Brewers: C+
Pitchers Sign before Spring Training
Monday had a flurry of pitchers sign before Pitchers and catchers report this week. Most notably, Starting Pitcher and Relief Pitcher Nick Martinez inked a one-year, $13 million deal with the Tampa Bay Rays. This is a big splash for the Rays as they look to not be the favorite to finish 5th in the NL East. Martinez had a nice 2025, but 2024 was the best year of his career as he played under the qualifying offer. He has bounced around and utilized it as a weapon between the bullpen and rotation. He should fit in perfectly with the Tampa Bay Rays.
The Chicago White Sox brought back an old friend in Eric Fedde. He signed there after a year in the KBO in 2024. He is now back and an effective innings eater for the 2026 Chicago White Sox. This team continues to have a nice offseason. Fedde had a tough 2025, but was a reliable innings eater for most of the year. As the year progresses, the White Sox can bring back some young starters to the rotation and piggyback them with Fedde to save their bullets for better days and release pressure from them.
Chris Paddack signed with the Miami Marlins today as well. Paddack has bounced around as of late as his early-career free fall continues. Paddack is now 30 years old and has always had elite extension and walk %, but has never been able to put all of the tools together. Miami adds to its rotation depth after trading Edward Cabrera and Ryan Weathers this offseason.
Marcell Ozuna to the Pirates
Marcell Ozuna has had quite the fall from 2024 to 2026. Two years ago, he was an all-star, hitting nearly 39 Home Runs and 100+ RBIs, but in 2025, his age 34 season, his career looked to be closing in. The Pittsburgh Pirates are making a desperate group of moves that give them an apparent facelift rather than spending money in the right places. Along with Ozuna, they acquired Brandon Lowe from the Rays this offseason. I do not believe that what they are doing will take them past a 3rd place finish in the NL Central. People are commending them for an effort, when the effort feels more like the old saying, “Lipstick on a pig”.
MJ Melendez to the Mets
MJ Melendez was once a top prospect in the Kansas City Royals‘ system, but has struggled mightily with swing and miss. If you take a look at his Baseball Savant, the former catcher’s only strong suit is average exit velocity. This is what David Stearns sees as a flyer to hopefully improve the bench of this team. If not, no harm, no foul. The now outfielder looks to break camp with a new-look Mets squad as a bench piece.
