The Boston Red Sox's late-winter trade with the Milwaukee Brewers dominated early-season discourse for both teams. Caleb Durbin struggled in his first months with Boston while Kyle Harrison broke out in Milwaukee, growing into a top Cy Young candidate almost immediately.
Months later, Durbin has emerged offensively, Anthony Seigler has made great use of his time in the big leagues and Andruw Monasterio has had his moments. Harrison has fallen back to earth with a 5.34 ERA in his last seven outings, David Hamilton has largely played like usual and Shane Drohan has pitched well since his move to the Brewers' rotation. On MLB Draft day, the Red Sox finally completed this trade and hopefully claimed a trade "win" in the process.
Boston got a compensation round draft pick (67th overall) for everything it sent to Milwaukee and used it to draft outfielder Owen Hull out of the University of North Carolina. MLB Pipeline ranked Hull as the No. 67 prospect in the draft class.
The Red Sox used their first two draft picks on UNC hitters, breaking from Craig Breslow's trend of taking mostly college pitchers in his previous drafts. Hull and infielder Jake Schaffner, Boston's first round pick, were teammates for one season at Carolina.
Red Sox completed controversial Kyle Harrison-Caleb Durbin trade with Owen Hull, the No. 67 pick in MLB Draft
Hull began his college career at George Mason University before he transferred to UNC for the 2026 campaign. He batted .393/.500/.615 over 69 games with the Tar Heels, with 27 doubles, two triples, nine home runs and 87 RBI. His eye for the strike zone is one of his most noteworthy skills — he walked 48 times and struck out 49 during his season in Carolina blue. He also stole 18 bases to show off his speed.
Red Sox draft picks Schaffner and Hull were a dangerous duo atop North Carolina's College World Series lineup, in which Hull thrived. He was a home run shy of a cycle in the game that sent UNC to the CWS and he posted four hits, including a home run, in the three-game series. UNC eventually lost to the Oklahoma Sooners, but Hull had established himself as a star.
On MLB Network's draft coverage, prospect expert Jim Callis described Hull as having "one of the best combinations of physicality and athleticism" in this year's draft. The Red Sox will have some work to do fine-tuning his lefty swing to even it out and increase his power, but if they succeed, he could one day be a great addition to their outfield or a trade package for premier talent. Almost half a year after it was made, the Harrison-Durbin trade doesn't look too bad for Boston anymore.
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