Angel

Zerpa

Staked to a 2-1 lead, Zerpa allowed a leadoff single to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. before dispatching the middle of the Blue Jays lineup in order on three consecutive groundouts. Presumed closer Abner Uribe had worked two days in a row, and Trevor Megill worked the eighth inning. It’s possible the Brewers dabble with a committee at some point, but this was likely just a save chance earned by not wanting to use Uribe three days in a row.

With both Trevor Megill and Abner Uribe having pitched on both Saturday and Sunday, it was Zerpa who got called on to record the save on Monday. He allowed a solo home run to Willson Contreras and a single to Wilyer Abreu, but got Trevor Story to ground out to end the game. Zerpa remains third in line for saves in Milwaukee.

Zerpa is in his first year of arbitration after posting a 4.18 ERA in 64 2/3 innings for the Royals last season. The Brewers are considering making him a starter after acquiring him for Isaac Collins and Nick Mears, but given that they already have a bunch of quality rotation candidates, it seems likely that he’ll stick in the pen and battle for a setup gig.

The trade is now official. It appears a bit lopsided on the surface with Collins coming off a fourth-place finish in NL Rookie of the Year voting and Mears providing steady middle relief last season. Zerpa heads to Milwaukee after posting a serviceable 3.97 ERA — 4.13 FIP — and 19.7 percent strikeout rate over 177 innings for Kansas City since 2021. If history is any guide, the Brewers must believe there’s more in the tank — and they’ve earned the benefit of the doubt when it comes to squeezing value out of overlooked relief arms. Brewers general manager Matt Arnold told reporters that they’re open to considering the 26-year-old southpaw as a starter and have been trying to acquire him for a long time. The possibility that he’ll be stretched out as a starter provides some legitimate intrigue for fantasy purposes heading into next spring.

Collins finished in fourth place in NL Rookie of the Year balloting this past season after slashing a healthy .263/.368/.411 with nine homers, 54 RBI and 16 stolen bases in 441 plate appearances. The door should be open for him to see everyday action with the Royals, which should boost his overall appeal for fantasy purposes. It seems like a lopsided deal on the surface, especially since Mears is coming off the best season of his career, posting a 3.49 ERA — 3.86 FIP — across 56 2/3 innings. It’s abundantly clear that Milwaukee sees something in Zerpa’s profile that made him a clear target. The 26-year-old southpaw boasts a serviceable 3.97 ERA — 4.13 FIP — and 19.7 percent strikeout rate over 177 innings in the big leagues since 2021.

Zerpa struck out one batter in a clean inning of work to open the bullpen game for the Royals. Jonathan Bowlan took over in the second and surrendered a two-run homer to Juan Soto in the fourth inning, ending his outing after three frames with four strikeouts.

It’ll be Angel Zerpa taking the ball on Saturday to kick off a bullpen game instead. The 33-year-old veteran is coming off one of his best outings of the season last Sunday when he fired seven scoreless frames to defeat the Diamondbacks. It’s unclear whether they’ll consider giving him the ball for Sunday’s first-half finale over rookie Noah Cameron, assuming he’s feeling well enough. There should be an update on his status at some point later this weekend.

Sherman adds that talks stalled when the Mets allegedly asked for Hunter Harvey or Angel Zerpa back, which the Royals were not willing to do. Considering that Kansas City went on to add Carlos Estevez to their bullpen, parting with Harvey for Marte doesn’t seem like a crazy price. The 36-year-old veteran isn’t the player he once was, but he has been successful when healthy and could add another solid outfielder to a team that has been playing Jonathan India and Michael Massey in the outfield this spring. It’s worth watching to see if these two teams re-engage in discussions since Marte will make his spring debut this week.

Zerpa is coming up to replace Chris Stratton, who was placed on the injured list. He has a 4.40 ERA, 1.57 WHIP and 41 strikeouts in 47 innings for the Royals this year.

This is all about having a fresh arm in the bullpen. Zerpa has thrown 49 pitches in the last two days and the Royals have eight games coming up this week, including a doubleheader on Monday, so they couldn’t afford to have a pitcher in the bullpen who was not able to throw. Zerpa should be back up soon. Daniel Lynch IV was called up to give the Royals a fresh arm.