Another former Braves farmhand is thriving with the Brewers

The Braves have had a knack for deciding which prospects to trade away and which ones to keep, but Alex Anthopoulos may have let a special one slip away in Caleb Durbin.

Ahead of the 2023 campaign, the Braves acquired Lucas Luetge from the Yankees in exchange for Durbin and Indigo Diaz. At the time, the deal made sense. Luetge put together a 2.71 ERA through nearly 130 innings with the Yankees, with two sub-3.00 ERA campaigns in New York.

Durbin was originally a 14th-round pick in the 2021 draft and split seasons between two A-ball levels prior to the trade, hitting .241/.352/.372 across 450 plate appearances with matching 10.9% strikeout and walk rates. Moreover, he was an older prospect at the time, turning 23 years old in February following the trade.

Hindsight is 20/20, though. With the Braves, Luetge only pitched in 13.2 innings and gave up 11 earned runs, which shakes out to a 7.24 ERA. Meanwhile, Durbin is thriving with the Brewers.

In a trade for Devin Williams, the Yankees traded away Nestor Cortes and Caleb Durbin, who has emerged as a legitimate talent for the Brew Crew. Over 77 games this season, he’s slashing .264/.350/.382 with five homers, including a special stretch over the last month.