Brewers-Royals Trade Explained: Why Ángel Zerpa Was Ideal Fit

The Milwaukee Brewers are on the board.

Milwaukee dipped its toes in the trade market on Saturday night and reportedly agreed to send Isaac Collins and right-handed reliever Nick Mears to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for left-handed reliever Ángel Zerpa, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.

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"The Kansas City Royals are acquiring outfielder Isaac Collins and right-handed reliever Nick Mears in a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers, sources tell ESPN," Passan wrote on X on Friday. "Left-handed reliever Ángel Zerpa is headed back to the Milwaukee Brewers in the deal that sends Isaac Collins and Nick Mears to Kansas City, sources tell ESPN."

The Brewers made a move

Sep 13, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Kansas City Royals pitcher Angel Zerpa (61) pitches against the Philadelphia Phillies during the fifth inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Background on Ángel Zerpa

Zerpa isn't a big-name hurler, but he's just 26 years old and won't be a free agent until 2029. He's a five-year big league veteran and is coming off a season where he logged a 4.18 ERA in 69 appearances for the Royals. His ERA doesn't jump off the page, but Zerpa had a 3.86 FIP on the season. FIP is a statistic that measures a pitcher's impact while attempting to remove the uncontrollable variable of defense. So, a FIP lower than an ERA is a sign of bad luck for the hurler.

The lefty has appeared in 148 big league games in his career so far and has a 3.97 ERA and 150-to-53 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 177 innings pitched. On top of this, he has electric stuff. He finished in the 86th percentile in fastball velocity in 2025 and the 99th percentile in groundball rate. So, this guy gets the ball on the ground and brings the heat.

Why the Brewers traded Nick Mears/Isaac Collins

The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon reported that the Brewers were looking to deal from their surplus of young outfielders for a controllable left-handed hurler.

"The Milwaukee Brewers are looking to trade off their outfield depth, most likely by moving Isaac Collins or Blake Perkins for a reliever with minor-league options remaining," Rosenthal and Sammon wrote. "Sal Frelick and Jackson Chourio likely will be in the corners next season, with Perkins and Garrett Mitchell the leading options in center. Brandon Lockridge projects as the fourth outfielder, with the newly signed Akil Baddoo another possibility."

Rosenthal and Sammon also reported earlier in the week that Mears was a trade candidate.

"In addition to closer Trevor Megill, right-handed reliever Nick Mears is another player generating trade interest from Milwaukee’s bullpen, league sources said," Rosenthal and Sammon wrote. "Mears, 29, is under club control for two more seasons. MLB Trade Rumors projects Mears to make $1.6 million in 2026. In 63 appearances (56 2/3 innings), Mears had a 3.49 ERA/3,86 FIP. Mears’ chase rate ranked in the top 7 percent, per Baseball Savant."

Mears had a 3.49 ERA in 2025, but has a career 4.61 ERA in six seasons. So, essentially, the Brewers traded from their surplus of outfielders and a reliever at his peak trade value for a lefty reliever with years of control.

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