If there's one thing that Atlanta Braves General Manager Alex Anthopoulos loves, it's bullpen depth. The GM has made it a priority ever since he took over the role as GM to have a fortified bullpen, whether it's constructing it in the offseason or strengthening it during the season.
However, his trade for Lucas Luetge during the 2022-2023 offseason, which was unremarkable at the time, might go down as one of the worst trades he's ever made.
How Caleb Durbin became Alex Anthopoulos's one that got away
Prior to the trade, Caleb Durbin was unknown to most Braves fans. The infielder was a 14th round pick in the 2021 draft and while his numbers in 2022 were solid, they weren't eyepopping. In fact, to this day, the 24-year-old has yet to appear on MLB Pipeline's Top 30 prospects for the Yankees.
It would seem at first glance that because of lack of top prospect billing, calling the Luetge trade a disaster would be hyperbolic at best. After all, many teams' top 30 prospects never even reach the majors (anyone else remember Zack Bird?).
But Durbin dominated AAA this year, slashing .287/.396/.471 while also stealing 29 bases at a 91% success rate. The Yankees then sent him to the Arizona Fall League, where 5'6" infielder's aggressiveness on the basepaths exploded.
In just 21 games, Durbin stole 23 bags, only getting caught once. To do this, Durbin had to get on base a lot, which he did, as he slashed .296/.416/.519, walking at a 15.8% clip. He fell just one stolen base shy of setting an Arizona Fall League record.
The Yankees prospect is now forcing the Yankees hand, as he's eligible for the Rule 5 draft. This means that New York will either need to put him on the 40-man roster or risk losing him to another team.
The Yankees already seemed inclined to put him on the 40-man roster, and might even have him fight for the second base job, which is currently vacant with Gleyber Torres hitting the free agent market.
Yankees GM Brian Cashman has already mentioned Durbin as a potential internal candidate at second base, while Aaron Boone has stated he believes that the righty will play a big role for the Yanks.
Aaron Boone on Caleb Durbin: "I think he's a stud...he'll play a big role for us this upcoming season"
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) November 11, 2024
He credits Durbin for his bat-to-ball skills and his versatility pic.twitter.com/bAeD2D8WdB
If Durbin becomes an integral part of the 2025 Yankees, the Braves and Anthopoulos could be regretting the Luetge deal even more. Not only was Luetge horrible in his one season with the Braves, as he had a 7.24 ERA in 13.2 innings, the current Braves lack speed and have a huge question mark at the SS position.
If Durbin is the hit Yankees seem to believe he is, this rare miss by Anthopoulos might haunt him for years.