Here’s how much the Brewers’ recent trade acquisition is expected to make in 2026

Last weekend, the Milwaukee Brewers executed their first major trade of the offseason. Sending Isaac Collins and Nick Mears to the Kansas City Royals, the Brewers received Ángel Zerpa in exchange, a high-upside left-handed arm who, according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy, Milwaukee's front office has been interested in for a long time.

The deal was initially met with backlash from much of the baseball world, including an article from the brilliant mind of Keith Law at The Athletic, who at one point clearly stated, "I can see the logic of the deal for the Royals right away, but I’m struggling to understand it for the Crew." Seeing this as a win for the Brewers involves ignoring what happened in the past and projecting what might happen in the future. Defenders of the trade argue that Zerpa's best seasons are ahead of him, seeing as his numbers haven't yet lived up to his underlying metrics, whereas Collins and Mears outperformed their underlying metrics when they were productive big leaguers for several months of the 2025 season.

Regardless of who won the trade, which won't be decided for several years given the fact that all three players involved have multiple years of team control remaining, something that hasn't been talked about much is the financial component of the deal. It must first be stated, given how some have described the Brewers needing to move Freddy Peralta because of payroll concerns, that Milwaukee absolutely didn't make this trade to cut down their payroll. All of the players involved are set to make less than $2 million next season, meaning money certainly was not the driving force behind the trade.

However, that doesn't mean a change in the Brewers' payroll calculation wasn't a side effect of their deal with Kansas City, and as the Milwaukee faithful know, after witnessing their team sever a positive relationship with ace Corbin Burnes over $740,000 in an arbitration hearing back in 2023, every dollar counts for the small-market Brew Crew. And while nothing will be set in stone until this year's arbitration process completes, it appears the Brewers' coffers will benefit from their first trade of the offseason, however small it may be.

MLB Trade Rumors projects Ángel Zerpa to make $1.2 million in 2026, $400k less than Nick Mears

Over at the popular site MLB Trade Rumors, Matt Schwartz constructed one of the most trusted arbitration salary projection models in the industry. The article, free to read over at mlbtraderumors.com and linked below, is oft-cited by writers throughout the baseball world who hope to predict their team's payroll for the following season prior to the arbitration process taking place, which begins in early January and can last into February, with hearings occasionally taking place during spring training.

MLB Trade Rumors Projected Arbitration Salaries For 2026

When it comes to the Brewers and Royals' three-player swap, the first financial component that must be mentioned is Milwaukee's shedding of Isaac Collins' 2026 salary. Not yet eligible for arbitration, Collins is slated for the league minimum salary in 2026, which is estimated to be $820k this year. However, the Brewers still have to replace Collins on the 40-man roster. It's likely his replacement is a third catcher, who probably won't be making much more than the major league minimum. Therefore, it's likely that Collins’ inclusion in this trade ends up being a wash in terms of impact on the Brewers' payroll when all is said and done.

However, in regard to Mears and Zerpa, it appears the Brewers will be saving some money by executing this deal with Kansas City. As clearly reported in MLB Trade Rumors' projections, Mears is expected to make $1.6 million in what will be his second go-around in the arbitration process, whereas Zerpa is projected to make just $1.2 million during his first year of arbitration eligibility. Mears made $963k in 2025 -- his first year of arbitration eligibility.

As previously stated, MLB Trade Rumors simply offers a prediction, albeit an incredibly accurate one, and it's likely that neither player earns exactly what they are projected to, but the reality remains that the Brewers will save at least some money in 2026 as a result of their trade with Kansas City. Just how much money that ends up being and how Milwaukee elects to use it remains to be seen, but for the cash-strapped Brewers, it's another positive side effect of their first major trade of the offseason.