The Royals executed a two-for-one deal with the Brewers.
This offseason, the Kansas City Royals are showing that they're not satisfied with their 82-80 finish in 2025. After handing third baseman Maikel Garcia a five-year contract extension with a club option for a sixth on Friday, they acquired a pitcher and an outfielder from the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday, via FanSided's Robert Murray.
"The Kansas City Royals are acquiring reliever Nick Mears in a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers, according to sources familiar with the deal," he reported.
Additional details quickly emerged after that, per ESPN's Jeff Passan.
"Left-handed reliever Angel Zerpa is headed back to the Milwaukee Brewers in the deal that sends Isaac Collins and Nick Mears to Kansas City, sources tell ESPN," he reported.
Royals Add Depth On Both Sides of Ball
Former Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Nick Mears. © Mike De Sisti / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn ImagesKansas City is banking on Mears continuing his 2025 form, as he finished 5-3 with a career-best 3.49 ERA in 63 outings this past season. The 29-year-old has a career ERA of 4.61 over 169 appearances, so he must prove that he can pitch to a sub-4.00 ERA consistently.
Meanwhile, Collins adds to the Royals' outfield depth, as that was a weakness for them in 2025. The 26-year-old slashed .263/.368/.411 with nine homers and 54 RBIs in 130 games this past season, his first full campaign in the big leagues.
The only player that Kansas City is giving up in this deal is Zerpa, who went 5-2 with a 4.18 ERA in 69 outings this past season. The 26-year-old has a career 3.97 ERA in 148 appearances.
Collins was selected in the ninth round of the 2019 MLB Draft before being selected by the Brewers from Colorado in the 2022 Rule 5 Draft. The Rule 5 Draft "allows clubs without a full 40-man roster to select certain non-40-man roster players from other clubs," per MLB.com. It's held annually at the Winter Meetings in December.
The Royals finished sixth in baseball with a 3.73 team ERA in 2025, but just 19th with a .706 OPS. Collins could help fix the latter stat moving forward, as center fielder Kyle Isbel's .654 OPS was the highest of all their full-time outfielders.
As for the financial side, Collins doesn't start arbitration until 2028, per Spotrac. Additionally, Mears finishes arbitration after 2027, and Zerpa after 2028.
Therefore, this deal allows Kansas City to flip one player under team control for multiple seasons for two, and Collins won't hit free agency until after the 2030 campaign.