Royals add Collins, Mears in trade with Brewers, part with Zerpa

KANSAS CITY -- Continuing their flurry of activity following the Winter Meetings, the Royals swung a trade Saturday night. They acquired outfielder Isaac Collins and right-handed reliever Nick Mears from the Brewers and sent lefty reliever Angel Zerpa to Milwaukee.

The deal became official Sunday afternoon. By adding Collins and Mears and subtracting Zerpa, the Royals’ roster stands at 39 players.

TRADE DETAILS
Royals get: OF Isaac Collins, RHP Nick Mears
Brewers get: LHP Angel Zerpa

Perhaps utility player is a better label for Collins, who logged a majority of his games for the Brewers last year in left field but also saw time at third base and second base. That versatility was appealing for Kansas City, although the club acquired him to play left field in 2026 as the roster stands now.

Collins’ defensive metrics are solid. He led the Majors with 6 outs above average in left field last season, and he has some speed. But the Royals acquired the switch-hitting Collins mainly for his bat as they continue to look for outfielders who can help elevate their offense next season.

“At this point, we felt like this was a very good move for us considering our needs," general manager J.J. Picollo said. “The need for on-base, 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.”

The 28-year-old Collins finished fourth in the National League Rookie of the Year voting last season after posting a slash line of .263/.368/.411 with a 118 OPS+, nine home runs and 54 RBIs. His profile is one that fits the Royals -- lots of contact, not a lot of chase. Evaluators add that he brings consistent and gritty at-bats that make pitchers work.

Collins’ 18.4% chase rate ranked in MLB’s 98th percentile, per Statcast, and he recorded just a 22.5% whiff rate. His 12.9% walk rate was tied for 19th in baseball (minimum 400 plate appearances). While there could be some regression for Collins next year in his second full season in the Major Leagues, the on-base and swing decisions typically aren’t things that fall off for hitters. That skill set is exactly why the Royals targeted him to lengthen the lineup.

“He does it in a different way,” Picollo said. "He gets deep in counts. He’s not afraid with two strikes. The contact rates are good. But I think the on-base is what separates him from what we don’t have right now or what we haven’t had a lot of success with. We need guys who can get on base around our top four or five guys.”

This trade was able to get to the finish line because the Royals were able to acquire Mears, too – a pitcher the Royals have had interest in going back to his time with Colorado in 2023. The 29-year-old possesses an above-average fastball and posted a 3.49 ERA across 56 2/3 innings in 2025, with just 13 walks and 46 strikeouts. And he adds chase to the Royals’ bullpen. Mears logged a 33.5% chase rate in ‘25 -- a number that ranked in MLB’s 93rd percentile, per Statcast. He relies mainly on his fastball-slider combination, with a curveball thrown some, too.

Mears threw mid- to high-leverage innings with Milwaukee, and the Royals expect him to find the same role with them, lengthening their bullpen in front of setup man Lucas Erceg and closer Carlos Estévez.

“There’s an intensity about him,” Picollo said of Mears. “He’s got an above-average fastball. A breaking ball that looks like it fluctuates between a slider and curveball, but both were above average. … It’s someone else you can go to in leverage situations.”

Collins is not eligible for salary arbitration until 2028 and will be under club contractual control until 2031. Mears is arb-eligible this year and is set to become a free agent following the ’27 season.

Parting with the 26-year-old Zerpa was not an easy task for the Royals, especially with left-handed relief depth on their offseason to-do list even before this trade. Zerpa signed with the Royals out of Venezuela in 2016 and progressed through their Minor League system as a starter before making his Major League debut at the very end of 2021. He transitioned to a reliever by ’24 and has spent the past two seasons as a durable piece of Kansas City’s bullpen.

In ‘25, Zerpa posted a 4.18 ERA across a career-high 64 2/3 innings. At times, he has looked unhittable with his 96.6 mph sinker. Other times, he struggled without consistency on his breaking ball.

The Royals were after offense in this trade, acquiring Collins for his contact and on-base ability. On Thursday, Kansas City came to an agreement with free-agent outfielder Lane Thomas on a one-year deal, which still hinges on a physical and was not something Picollo could comment on fully. But that’s two new outfielders who the Royals believe lengthen their lineup and better support the core of the position player group. However, those two acquisitions don’t necessarily mean the Royals are done looking for bats this winter.

“I don’t think it locks us into anything,” Picollo said. “With the defensive versatility, what we think the free agent can do, what we think Isaac can do, there’s still a chance that we may do something else. … I don't think I’ll sit here and say we’re done. I don’t think that’s the case. But it doesn’t mean we have to get something done.”