Nick

Mears

Mears was acquired from the Brewers in December after posting a 3.49 ERA in 56 2/3 innings with a chase rate that ranked in the top seven in baseball. The Royals obviously see some strikeout upside there, so Mears could emerge as a late-inning reliever for them in 2026.

It would be unfair to label Mears a throw-in, but he clearly profiles as the ancillary piece in the trade. The 29-year-old middle reliever is coming off the strongest season of his career where he finished with a 3.49 ERA — 3.86 FIP — across 56 2/3 innings. He’ll operate in middle relief for Kansas City and can be safely ignored for fantasy purposes.

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.

Mears, along with closer Trevor Megill, are being heavily sought after. Mears was a nice surprise for the Brewers in 2025, posting a 3.49 ERA in 56 2/3 innings with, as Rosenthal notes, a chase rate that ranked in the top seven in baseball, according to Baseball Savant. Mears is only projected to make around $1.6 million in arbitration so the Brewers don’t have to move him, but trading relievers for younger, controllable assets is often how smaller market teams like Milwaukee remain competitive.

Mears, who pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings in three appearances against the Cubs, experienced back troubles in the second half of the year, which could explain his absence from the roster. Myers gets the call to replace him over DL Hall and Rob Zastryzny. Myers had a 1.91 ERA and 20/3 K/BB in 28 1/3 innings out of the Brewers pen this year, compared to a 5.64 ERA in six starts.

Mears rejoins Milwaukee’s middle relief mix prior to Wednesday evening’s contest against the Angels following a nearly two-week absence due to back tightness. The 28-year-old righty has enjoyed the best season of his career so far, compiling a strong 3.42 ERA across 52 2/3 innings over 59 appearances in his second year with the Brewers.

Mears is eligible to come off the injured list on Wednesday, though a Friday return might be more likely. He has a 3.42 ERA in 52 2/3 innings out of the Brewers pen this season.

Mears dealt with back soreness in July and underwent an MRI for it, but he wound up needing only a couple of days off. It seems things are a bit worse this time. Mears gave up three runs Monday in his most recent appearance, taking his ERA from 2.96 to 3.42.

Given a one-run lead, Megill allowed a Ke’Bryan Hayes double that scored the tying run. He got out of the inning from there, though, and he saw the Brewers score three runs in the top of the 11th. Nick Mears then closed it out in the bottom of the 11th, allowing two runs — one earned — along the way. It was Megill’s fourth blown save and also his fourth win.

Mears apparently wrenched his back while warming up to go into Friday’s game and then pitched through it — allowing three runs (two earned) on a hit and a pair of walks in 2/3 of an inning. It sounds like he could be heading to the injured list, but they’ll wait and see what the imaging shows first. Expect an update on his status on Saturday.