Sometimes, the best trades are the ones that don't work out the way you planned—at least, that's the story for Kyle Harrison and the Boston Red Sox.

Harrison, who originally came to Boston in the blockbuster deal that sent Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants, is now turning heads with the Milwaukee Brewers. And ironically, it's something the Red Sox asked him to do that's fueling his dominance.

During his brief stint with the Red Sox, Harrison posted a solid 3.00 ERA over three appearances (two starts) and a 3.75 ERA in 12 Triple-A starts with Worcester. But since joining the Brewers, he's been on another level entirely—a 2.28 ERA through five starts, including a dazzling 12-strikeout, six-inning shutout performance in his most recent outing.

So, what changed? The Brewers made a simple mechanical adjustment, moving Harrison to the first-base side of the rubber. But Harrison credits the Red Sox for planting the seed of his success. When he arrived in Boston, the coaching staff wanted to improve his changeup and encouraged him to develop a "kick change" similar to teammate Connelly Early's.

"And then I started just messing with that grip, and it took forever to harness, man," Harrison said. "It took all the way up through this offseason, trying to get a feel for it."

By spring training, Harrison had found his groove with the new grip. But before he could showcase it in a Red Sox uniform, he was traded to Milwaukee. Now, his changeup usage has skyrocketed, and the pitch is generating above-average vertical drop—making it a devastating weapon.

"It was kind of cool to have that time with the Red Sox, because I was able to experiment, see what works, try certain pitches I never would have tried," Harrison added. "And then I got this changeup out of it, so we'll take it, you know?"

Had the Red Sox not pushed Harrison to refine his changeup, he might not be the pitcher we're seeing today in Milwaukee. Meanwhile, Connelly Early is off to a strong start for Boston, but watching Harrison thrive with the Brewers might leave the Red Sox wondering what could have been.