Dec. 13, 2025, 5:32 p.m. CT
- The Milwaukee Brewers acquired left-handed aid pitcher Ángel Zerpa from the Kansas Metropolis Royals.
- Zerpa is a hard-throwing floor ball specialist who had a 4.18 ERA in 69 appearances final season.
- Collins was fourth in NL rookie of the 12 months voting final 12 months, whereas Mears made 63 aid appearances.
The Milwaukee Brewers did not make any strikes on the winter conferences in Orlando this week, however they certain got here away ready to deal.
Two days after inking their first free-agent (Akil Baddoo) to a major-league contract, the Brewers dealt from their recently-replenished outfield depth for a aid pitcher who matches the crew’s mould.
The Brewers on Dec. 13 traded outfielder Isaac Collins and right-hander Nick Mears to the Kansas Metropolis Royals for hard-throwing floor ball specialist Ángel Zerpa, in accordance with a number of experiences confirmed by the Journal Sentinel.
Zerpa, a 26-year-old left-hander, throws a sinker-slider mixture that matches nicely with how the Brewers typically method their pitching employees. Zerpa carried a 62.4% floor ball price, registering within the 99th percentile amongst MLB pitchers final 12 months, and managed 58 strikeouts in 64⅔ innings regardless of a low whiff price of solely 16.4%.
Zerpa had a 4.18 earned run common throughout his 69 appearances for the Royals a 12 months in the past, however had higher underlying numbers that had been extra according to his profession 3.97 ERA.
In Collins and Mears, the Brewers are giving up two gamers who contributed to a 97-win crew a 12 months in the past. Collins was fourth in Nationwide League rookie of the 12 months balloting after batting .263 with a .368 on-base proportion and .779 OPS. Mears made 63 appearances with a 3.49 ERA and registered 16 holds.
By making this deal, the Brewers are projecting considerably of a step again from Collins and Mears in 2026 whereas believing that they will get extra out of Zerpa, who throws within the upper-90s and has a number of the greatest pure stuff of any left-handed reliever in baseball.
Collins possesses wonderful plate self-discipline, which fueled his breakout marketing campaign a 12 months in the past but additionally light late within the season and is a part of a deep outfield group that features Sal Frelick, Jackson Chourio, Garrett Mitchell, Brandon Lockridge, Blake Perkins and the recently-signed Baddoo.
Mears, in the meantime, held a high-leverage position early within the season and completed with strong outcomes however noticed his swing-and-miss numbers decline dramatically in 2025. His strikeout price dipped from 29.3% in 2024 to twenty.8% as he struggled to get whiffs on his four-seam fastball. Mears was in the end left off the roster for the Nationwide League Championship Collection. The 29-year-old righty, acquired by way of commerce from Colorado on the 2024 commerce deadline, had an anticipated slugging proportion on his fastball of .522, greater than 100 factors larger than the precise determine.
Zerpa has three years of membership management remaining in addition to one minor-league choice left. He instantly slots into the again of the Brewers’ bullpen alongside Abner Uribe, Trevor Megill and Jared Koenig – thought it is fairly doable the Brewers additionally discover a commerce accomplice for Megill within the close to future.
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