The Kansas City Royals may be sitting at a disappointing 13-19 record to start the season, but beneath the surface, there's a silver lining worth celebrating. One underrated offseason move is already paying dividends, and it comes in the form of reliever Nick Mears.
The right-hander has been a bright spot in an otherwise shaky bullpen, posting a 2-31 ERA with a 2-1 record over 13 outings heading into Saturday's game against the Seattle Mariners. What makes his performance even more impressive is his consistency: Mears hasn't pitched more than one inning in any appearance, yet he's only allowed a run in two of them. That kind of reliability is exactly what the Royals needed.
Kansas City acquired Mears—along with outfielder Isaac Collins—from the Milwaukee Brewers this past offseason in exchange for fellow reliever Angel Zerpa. On paper, Zerpa had the better track record. But this season is already showing why the Royals made the swap.
Mears now holds a career 9-10 record with a 4.46 ERA over 182 outings, while Zerpa sits at 8-12 with a 4.13 ERA over 160 games (eight starts). This season, the gap has widened significantly: Zerpa is 0-2 with a 6.39 ERA over 12 appearances and is currently on the 15-day injured list with left forearm tightness, per MLB.com. Meanwhile, Mears is thriving in Kansas City.
The Royals showed some real foresight here. Last season, Zerpa went 5-2 with a 4.18 ERA across 69 games, while Mears posted a 5-3 record and a 3.49 ERA over 63 games. The front office bet on Mears maintaining that momentum long-term—and also landed Collins, who slashed .263/.386/.411 with nine homers, 54 RBIs, and 16 stolen bases over 130 games as a rookie in 2025.
It's still early to make a final call on the trade, but Kansas City couldn't have asked for a better start from Mears. That said, the same can't be said for Collins just yet. The 28-year-old is slashing just .217/.330/.313 with two homers and nine RBIs over 27 games.
Even with Collins' early struggles, the trade makes sense for the Royals. They added a starting left fielder in his second season and a reliever under team control through 2027, while giving up a reliever under control through 2028 who isn't exactly a star. It's a calculated gamble—and so far, Mears is making it look like a win.