Why Brewers Might Miss Isaac Collins More Than They Think

[Harold Hutchison]

Image courtesy of © Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

Isaac Collins was a crucial reason why the Brewers survived the injuries suffered by Garrett Mitchell and Blake Perkins in the early part of 2025. In no small part, it's thanks to Collins that the Crew came away with their third consecutive division title and the top seed in the National League playoffs. The value he provided was huge, considering that he was plucked from the Rockies in the minor-league phase of the Rule 5 Draft two years earlier.

Collins did that through his OBP skills, speed, and excellent, unorthodox defense in left field. He provided 2.1 wins above replacement and a 118 OPS+, according to Baseball Reference. Despite that performance. there still seems to be doubt about his ability to contribute, partially because he seemed to fade in September and October, and was often on the bench due to Jake Bauers being the hot hand.

The Brewers appear to be skeptics, too. They traded Collins and reliever Nick Mears to Kansas City in exchange for lefty reliever Ángel Zerpa on December 13, gaining a 40-man roster spot, but the cost could be much higher than many Brewers fans (or even some team executives) think.

The 2025 Brewers had one Achilles’ heel: They ran out of gas by the time of the National League Championship Series, largely due to injuries. If there was a team “need” going into the offseason, it was to assemble a bench that could give Brice Turang, Caleb Durbin, Sal Frelick, and other players more rest during the regular season, while still maintaining above-average offensive performance.

On a 26-man roster, the Brewers usually go with 13 position players and 13 pitchers. (By rule, they can't have more pitchers than that, but in practice, neither they nor any other team in the league spend much time rostering fewer, either.) With the designated hitter, nine position-player slots are spoken for in each day's starting lineup. The team will usually carry a backup catcher, which leaves three bench spots to fill. Collins would have been immensely valuable in one of those spots, due to one aspect of his game that didn’t get a ton of play due to the circumstances in 2025: his versatility.

Through his minor-league career, Collins played all three outfield positions and saw time at second base and third base. While perhaps he would not be a regular starter on the Brewers in 2026, the versatility he displayed in the minors could have allowed him to give Frelick, Durbin, Turang, and even Jackson Chourio some in-season rest.

Between a lighter schedule (but still four or five starts a week) and a full offseason to prepare with a specific big-league role in mind, Collins would likely have still performed close to his 2025 levels, and he would have also kept more talented players fresher during the playoffs.

The Brewers don't really trust Collins on the dirt, and even in left field, his defense degraded late in 2025. Still, if pressed into flexible duty, he might have had significant roster utility, beyond his simple production. Come 2026, the Brewers may find themselves missing Isaac Collins a lot, no matter how well Ángel Zerpa turns out for them.

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Do you think Isaac Collins was too high a price to pay for Ángel Zerpa? Let us know in the comments below!

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[Telemachus Rafaelidys]

Well said. Collins deserves a ton of credit for a fantastic season and he absolutely helped the Brewers win the division! Wish him all the best in KC.

 

Feels like either a big bet on Mitchell or another move in the outfield is coming!

[Brian]

Brewcrewball Analysis of Zerpa: From an “on paper” standpoint, one of the biggest wins for the Brewers in the deal is team control. Zerpa won’t reach free agency until after the 2028 season, and he also comes with one minor league option. They also cut a little bit of salary, about $1 million. Both of those things are valuable for a team like Milwaukee looking to balance contention with cost control, especially after recent reports that the front office was looking to clear some cap space this offseason. 

https://www.brewcrewball.com/milwaukee-brewers-commentary-analysis/74983/what-to-expect-from-newest-brewer-angel-zerpa-brewers-trade-analysis 

[Randall Buchek]

Trading Collins was not a high price to pay.  They needed to clear left field so Chourio could play there.  Chourio is not the best player to play center field. Either Mitchell if healthy or Perkins is a better center fielder. As they say you have to give up something to get something back. The bullpen was burned out at the end of the season, so acquiring another bullpen arm is not a bad idea.

[Snoebird]

20 hours ago, Telemachus Rafaelidys said:

Well said. Collins deserves a ton of credit for a fantastic season and he absolutely helped the Brewers win the division! Wish him all the best in KC.

 

Feels like either a big bet on Mitchell or another move in the outfield is coming!

Collins was a three-sport gamer in high school, but his baseball pedigree isn't impressive. The Brewers have one of him in Brandon Lockridge. They needed to see their top draft pick of 2020, Garrett Mitchell, play center field for as long and well as he can, with Jackson Chourio comfortably in left. Mitchell will have plenty of backups in Lockridge, Perkins and Lara. Not to mention potentially Frelick if the Brewers trade for a slugging corner outfielder, which appears likely. Kansas City is a terrific landing spot for Collins, a new dad and Twin Cities native. His infield versatility likely will come into play with the Royals.