New chapter added to Brewers' Nick Mears trade after Rockies' latest move

President of Baseball Operations Matt Arnold and the Milwaukee Brewers' front office have built a reputation in recent years of finding value in under-the-radar trades. The most obvious example is the front office turning Aaron Civale, who became a redundant piece of the Brewers' roster after the promotion of Jacob Misiorowski, into Andrew Vaughn, who went on an absolute tear for the Brew Crew during the second half of the 2025 season.

However, the trend extends farther than the famous Civale-Vaughn swap. Reliever Grant Anderson was acquired from the Texas Rangers last offseason after posting an ERA of 8.10 during the 2024 campaign. He became one of Pat Murphy's most trusted right-handed relievers in 2025, improving his ERA to 3.23 while appearing in a career-high 66 games. Chad Patrick, who was a Rookie of the Year candidate before he lost his rotation spot to Brandon Woodruff in early July, was acquired for Abraham Toro, who was worth -0.3 bWAR in 2025, prior to the 2024 season. Now, Patrick figures to be an important piece of the Brewers' pitching staff for at least the next five years.

Finding surplus value in trades such as these is the only way that a team like the Brewers, who exist in the smallest TV market in baseball and therefore are limited, when it comes to payroll, by MLB's current unfair revenue-sharing model, can remain competitive for a sustained period of time. Every time that Arnold and company turn a redundant or league-average asset into even the slightest bit of surplus value, it continues their strategy of fielding a competitive team year after year.

The strategy, however, is not always popular in the eyes of their fanbase. Whether it be having to move on from All-Stars as they enter their final year under contract, or making a trade that initially seems to lack sense, this unique approach to roster construction, made necessary by the aforementioned disparities that exist in MLB, can often turn into a PR headache for the front office. However, in many, many cases, especially during the Brewers' recent run of success, the long-term outcomes of these trades skew in Milwaukee's favor. Such is the case with a seemingly under-the-radar move that the Brewers made at the 2024 trade deadline; the true value of the deal wasn't realized until the Colorado Rockies' latest transaction.

Rockies designate Bradley Blalock for assignment, reinforcing the Brewers trade win in their 2024 deadline deal for Nick Mears

Last Thursday, the Rockies, now under the guidance of Paul DePodesta (also known as Jonah Hill's character from Moneyball), elected to designate right-hander Bradley Blalock for assignment. Blalock was one of two players who the Brewers traded to Colorado in exchange for Nick Mears at the 2024 trade deadline -- the other, Yujanyer Herrera, is currently rehabbing from Tommy John surgery.

At the time of the trade, Blalock was the Brewers' No. 17-ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline, and many fans were confused why Milwaukee would give up a rising young arm for a reliever from the Rockies who held a 5.56 ERA at the time of the trade. However, a year and a half removed from the trade, Arnold and his team once again appear to have psychic abilities. In reality, there was a lot to like about Mears' profile that suggested he would have success in the Brewers' bullpen, but the difference in results between him and Blalock were nonetheless stark.

Yes, Mears is no longer in the Brewers' organization -- he was traded to the Kansas City Royals alongside Isaac Collins for Ángel Zerpa in early December -- and his performance faltered down the stretch in 2025, but there's no denying he was one of the best relievers in Milwaukee during the first half of the 2025 season. Mears posted an ERA of 0.79 in both April and June (yes, the exact same number), but a 4.63 ERA in May kept his overall ERA at a less impressive, but still stellar 2.10 mark when the calendar flipped to July.

Meanwhile, Blalock made 14 appearances for the Rockies in 2025 and compiled a 9.36 ERA, making him worth an uninspiring -1.6 bWAR. Despite being just 25 years old, the Rockies couldn't keep him on their 40-man roster when they officially added Michael Lorenzen last week.

In the end, it was an impressive difference between Mears' and Blalock's values since the 2024 trade deadline deal; Mears was ultimately worth just 0.2 bWAR during his time in a Brewers' uniform compared to Blalock's -1.8 bWAR in Colorado (2.0 WAR is worth roughly $18-20 million on the free agent market). These are the types of deals that make the Brewers who they are. They win on the margins, never fail to find value where seemingly none exists, and move on from their players at the right time. It's fair to assume that the trend will continue next season with a breakout season from Zerpa. At this point, Brewers fans shouldn't expect anything else.