"The Yankees got their man yesterday," beamed MLB.com, in its own form of bending air.
And, alas, here we are... watching at home.
At the time, Durbin was a buzzy IF pizza rat who had become Maury Wills in the Arizona Fall Instructional League, setting records for base stealing and - at 5'6" - reminding Yank wags of Dustin Pedroia and Jose Altuve - the diminutives who perpetually kill us.
Instantly, the trade was hailed as a glorious Yankee victory - by the Yankees, anyway. Durbin was too small, the whispers said. Cortes had passed his sell-bye date - (and somebody had to take the blame for the 2024 World Series) - and the Yankees needed a closer. Even if Durbin emerged, he couldn't hurt us in Milwaukee. I mean, when was the last time Milwaukee hurt us? (Are you old enough to remember Del Crandall and Warren Spahn?)
Of course, Williams turned out to be a disaster. He lost his job to Luke Weaver, who got Scott Proctored, and both ended up on the Mets. Williams finished 2026 with a 4.43 ERA. Yikes.
But last winter was when Milwaukee traded Durbin to Boston. That's where the Yankee nightmare begins. The Brewers received Shane Drohan, David Hamilton and Kyle Harrison - all of whom are on the current playoff roster. The Redsocks got Durbin, Andruw Monasterio and Anthony Seigler, all of whom played a role in their turnabout season. Durbin overcame a horrendous first two months to bat .248 with 13 HRs and 20 SBs, with a growing reputation as a sparkplug. He'll enter 2027 as Boston's everyday 3B.
And the Yankees? Well, they spent all of 2026 searching for a third-baseman, which turned out to be Ryan McMahon. He hit 11 HRs, batted .213, and - worst of all - let it destroy his defense.
Yep, everything turned on that Durbin deal, where the Yankees traded rising youth for past performance. It's our signature move. Congrats to all.
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