MILWAUKEE -- Having few glaring holes on a roster that was coming off a franchise record for wins put the Brewers in position to make moves on the edges precisely like the one that went official on Sunday, when they acquired left-handed reliever Angel Zerpa from the Royals in exchange for reliever Nick Mears and utility man Isaac Collins.
The versatile switch-hitting Collins is coming off a fourth-place finish in NL Rookie of the Year Award balloting and Mears has had stretches of high-leverage work when healthy over the last year and a half. But in Zerpa, 26, the Brewers acquired a lefty who has been durable to the tune of 129 appearances over the past two seasons and who has held left-handed batters to a .624 OPS over the course of his career -- and who might get a look as a starter.
TRADE DETAILS
Royals get: OF Isaac Collins, RHP Nick Mears
Brewers get: LHP Angel Zerpa
“Really big arm,” Brewers president of baseball operations Matt Arnold said Sunday after the teams managed to track down Zerpa at his off-grid farm in Venezuela, allowing them to formally announce the swap. “A really good, power sinker/slider combination, and I think putting that in front of our defense is something we’re really excited about. This guy has been able to put the ball on the ground at an elite level.
“He’s somebody we’ve tried to access for a long time.”
The finally succeeded after a 2025 in which Zerpa posted a 4.18 ERA in a career-high 69 appearances, including a pair of starts. He set career highs for innings (64 2/3), strikeouts (58) and holds (14) while working with a heavy fastball that ranked in Statcast’s 99th percentile for ground ball percentage and 84th percentile for velocity. His primary fastball, a two-seam sinker, averaged 96.6 mph last season.
Just as critical as the improvement he offers a bullpen that has been used liberally in Milwaukee in recent seasons, Zerpa is currently arbitration-eligible for the first time and unsigned for 2026. He’s controllable through the 2028 season and also has a Minor League option remaining.
Arnold and his coaches will have more extensive conversations with Zerpa before making a final decision about his role. But for now the door is cracked open to starting.
“We have some scouts who think he can do it,” Arnold said. “He has done it in the past. This guy also has postseason experience, too, which we obviously value a lot. So having a guy with this kind of versatility and experience in big games is something we think will really help us.”
In Collins, 28, the Brewers are parting with an organizational success story. Originally acquired from the Rockies in the Minor League phase of the 2022 Rule 5 Draft, and mostly an infielder before last season, he made the move to left field and hit .263 with nine homers, 54 RBIs and 16 stolen bases for the Brewers in 2025 while manning left field when injuries thinned Milwaukee’s other options.
“At this point, we felt like this was a very good move for us considering our needs," Royals general manager J.J. Picollo said. “The need for on-base [ability], the need for an outfielder. Adding a switch-hitter to our roster, and then Isaac’s positional versatility is very attractive when you combine that with the number of years of control.
“We know right now that the outfield is the primary spot he’s going to play, but it never hurts to have a player that has been in other positions and done well in other positions. We feel like there’s a lot of upside to this and some safety at the same time. It helps you manage your roster well.”
For Milwaukee, outfield is a position of strength now that everyone is healthy, and the Brewers fielded interest in players like Collins and center fielders Garrett Mitchell and Blake Perkins during the Winter Meetings. They also added an outfielder with their first free agent signing off the offseason, Akil Baddoo, whom the Brewers coveted for his athleticism.