The Milwaukee Brewers arguably had the fleece of the offseason before the 2026 Major League Baseball season.
Milwaukee came out of nowhere and shipped Caleb Durbin, Andruw Monasterio and Anthony Seigler in a package to the Boston Red Sox that brought Kyle Harrison and David Hamilton to town. The deal somehow looks better with each outing from Harrison.
The 24-year-old lefty made his eighth start of the season on Thursday and was almost unhittable. Harrison pitched five more shutout innings and lowered his season ERA down to 2.09 while striking out seven more batters. Harrison now has 48 strikeouts in 38 2/3 innings pitched.
Boston was in a bind this past offseason after losing Alex Bregman in free agency to the Chicago Cubs and Durbin was the club's answer to replace him. So far this season, Durbin has slashed .165/.245/.241 with a shockingly low .485 OPS in 40 games played. He's been excellent defensively and is in the 97th percentile in outs above average.
The Brewers Found A Star
May 14, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Kyle Harrison (52) throws a pitch against the San Diego Padres in the first inning at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images
Last year, Durbin was a fan favorite in Milwaukee. He was a key piece for the club that set the franchise record with 97 wins in the season. But Milwaukee is in a much better place now. Harrison is a legit ace. Milwaukee has Jacob Misiorowski at the top of the rotation and Harrison has been the perfect Robin to Misiorowski's Batman.
Hamilton has provided a spark on the base paths for the Brewers throughout the campaign so far. He entered the day on Thursday slashing .229/.321/.250 with seven RBIs, seven stolen bases and two doubles in 33 games played.
Milwaukee won 97 games in 2025 and is arguably better than it was last year. The ascension of Harrison is a significant reason why. When this rotation is healthy, it can make a deep run in the postseason. Misiorowski is a superstar. Harrison looks like a legit No. 2 starter and is just 24 years old. Brandon Woodruff will return at some point and everyone knows what he can do. Then, the Brewers will be able to roll out either Brandon Sproat, Quinn Priester, Logan Henderson or Chad Patrick in the final two spots in the rotation. This team is built to win now and is just getting better.
For two years in a row, it has been at the expense of the Red Sox with Harrison and Priester coming to town.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/brewers/onsi as Brewers-Red Sox Kyle Harrison Swap Looks Even More Like a Steal.
