KANSAS CITY — Continuing their flurry of activity after the Winter Meetings, the Royals swung a trade Saturday night, acquiring outfielder Isaac Collins and right-handed reliever Nick Mears from the Brewers while sending lefty reliever Angel Zerpa to Milwaukee, sources told MLB.com.
The trade has not been confirmed by the clubs.
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. The 28-year-old was fourth in the National League Rookie of the Year voting after posting a slash line of .263/.368/.411 with a 118 OPS+, nine home runs and 54 RBIs.
Mears, meanwhile, has some big stuff and posted a 3.49 ERA across 56 2/3 innings in 2025, with just 13 walks and 46 strikeouts.
The Royals have been scouring both the free-agent and trade markets for outfielders. They came to an agreement on a one-year deal with outfielder Lane Thomas on Thursday, a deal that’s not official yet. Collins fits the bill of what they’ve been looking for, especially as someone who can move around the field. And Collins fits the Royals’ type as a hitter, making solid contact and not missing much, with just an 18.4% chase rate last season and 22.5% whiff rate.
Mears is an added bonus, adding some chase to the Royals’ bullpen. The 29-year-old logged a 33.5% chase rate in 2025 — 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.
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 can be a free agent following the ’27 season.
Zerpa has had stretches of elite appearances over the past five seasons. He spent all of 2025 in the big leagues and posted a 4.18 ERA across a career-high 64 2/3 innings. At times, Zerpa looked unhittable with his 96.6 mph sinker. Other times, he struggled without consistency on his breaking ball.
