If you polled casual fans on which MLB offseason trade was most impactful, they might not have the insight to know that the No. 1 answer was Kyle Harrison to the Brewers. What was originally known as the Caleb Durbin trade has completely inverted as Harrison has asserted himself as one of the most intriguing rising talents at his position through 10 starts in Milwaukee.
In fact, Harrison has set a historic precedent with the lowest ERA of any starting pitcher through their first 10 starts in Milwaukee Brewers history (1.57). The lefty has shown tremendous progress to begin this year, improving his ERA (4.39 to 1.57), strikeouts per nine innings (8.8 to 10.6), and opponent slugging percentage (.432 to .291).
Although much of this early success can be credited to the Brewers' expert player development program, Harrison himself has put in the work and refined his game in a way that took him from a middling starter to one of the best young players in the game.
Given Harrison's meteoric rise through 10 starts in Milwaukee, MLB analyst Joel Sherman didn't have much difficulty placing this trade at the top spot of his top five offseason trades list for MLB Network.
"I just think there's a clear champion for the [best] offseason trade," Sherman said. "Turning Caleb Durbin and two other pieces — if you had just done it for Kyle Harrison, who has been a top five starter in the National League in a great year for National League starting pitching this year — that would be really something."
That's high praise for a 24-year-old, unproven southpaw who got swapped for a Rookie of the Year finalist, but Kyle Harrison has been well worth the hype.
The Brewers pulled another rabbit out of their hat with this Kyle Harrison trade.
Harrison is the next in a long line of players that the Milwaukee Brewers scooped up while their value was trending downward, and helped get back on track. It's become a staple of this franchise and the organization's best route for acquiring cost-controlled talent without having to spend in the same way that large-market teams like the Mets or Dodgers might.
Without having to give up anything detrimental to their lineup, general manager Matt Arnold managed to find a pitcher capable of 18 straight shutout innings over his last three starts. That's a pretty impressive feat when you're not doling out your top prospects or leveraging your future to do it.
Despite giving up who was widely considered their best pitcher in Freddy Peralta this summer, the Brewers somehow have a better pitching rotation this season than last year, and they didn't have to spend big bucks to do it. That's a sustainable trajectory for long-term success that most teams do not have the foresight to complete.
Trading Durbin, coming off a fantastic season for Milwaukee, was a huge risk, but it's paying off in dividends now that we see just what Harrison is capable of.
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