The Milwaukee Brewers traded outfielder Isaac Collins and right-hander Nick Mears to the Kansas City Royals for left-handed reliever Angel Zerpa, the teams announced Sunday.
Milwaukee had been looking to alleviate a glut of outfielders by trading either Collins or Blake Perkins, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon reported Friday. Ultimately, it was Collins who got squeezed out after the Brewers signed Akil Baddoo to a one-year contract earlier this week. Perkins, Baddoo, Jake Bauers, Sal Frelick, and Jackson Chourio remain as corner outfield options.
Collins, a 28-year-old switch-hitter, is coming off a breakout campaign that saw him finish fourth in NL Rookie of the Year voting. The Minnesota native hit .263/.368/.411 with nine homers, 54 RBIs, and 16 stolen bases as the MLB-best Brewers’ primary left fielder. He struggled defensively, though, accruing minus-3 defensive runs saved across both corner spots with just two outfield assists in 876 2/3 defensive innings.
Collins will be under the Royals’ control through the 2030 season and won’t reach arbitration until 2028. He can potentially platoon in left field with recent free-agent signing Lane Thomas.
Mears was a stable presence in Milwaukee’s bullpen this past season and produced a career-best year working primarily in middle relief. The 28-year-old right-hander put up a 3.49 ERA, 3.86 FIP, and 0.97 FIP along with 46 strikeouts, 13 walks, and one save while allowing only seven home runs in 56 2/3 innings. He primarily throws a fastball and slider, with the occasional curveball mixed in.
Mears, who is projected by MLB Trade Rumors to earn $1.6 million in 2026, adds another potential high-powered strikeout arm to a Royals relief corps that had the AL’s lowest K/9 rate last season. He’s one year removed from striking out nearly 12 batters per nine.
Zerpa, 26, made his big-league debut with the Royals in 2021. This past season, the sinkerballer put up a 4.18 ERA, 3.86 FIP, and 1.38 WHIP along with an 8.1 K/9 rate and 3.1 BB/9 rate over 69 appearances. He was particularly dominant against left-handed hitters, holding them to a .644 OPS with just six extra-base hits last year.
Brewers general manager Matt Arnold said Sunday that the team is considering using Zerpa as a starter, according to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. Though he has experience working in the rotation, including eight stars in the majors, Zerpa hasn’t made a start that lasted longer than one inning since 2023.
Arnold added that the Brewers have been trying to acquire Zerpa “for a long time.”
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