Brewers "Open To" Using Angel Zerpa As A Starter

"As we've seen teams move away from traditional pitching roles in recent years, there has been an increased willingness to explore turning relievers (sometimes even career relievers) into starting pitchers. If clubs no longer expressly need their starters to throw more than five innings or take more than two turns through an opposing lineup, stretching a reliever out to handle this increased workload is more of a realistic goal than stretching a reliever to handle seven-plus innings."

"Zerpa began his pro career as a starting pitcher, and worked as a starter in three of his first four career games in the majors (in 2021-22). He started only three of his 15 appearances for the Royals in 2023, however, and hasn't since started a game in anything outside of an opener capacity. Instead, K.C. used Zerpa as a southpaw bullpen weapon, and the hurler posted a 4.03 ERA, 20.8% strikeout rate, 8.0% walk rate, and a whopping 60.6% groundball rate over 118 1/3 innings in 2024-25."

The Brewers received Angel Zerpa from the Royals in a three-player trade while sending Isaac Collins to Kansas City. The Brewers are open to moving Zerpa from the bullpen back into a starting role, noting scouts believe he can handle that work and valuing his postseason experience and versatility. Industry trends have increased willingness to convert relievers into starters for shorter, matchup-friendly starts rather than traditional long outings. Zerpa started early in his major-league career but shifted to a bullpen role; he posted a 4.03 ERA, 20.8% strikeout rate, 8.0% walk rate, and a 60.6% groundball rate over 118 1/3 innings in 2024-25. Zerpa’s fastball averaged 96.2 mph in 2025, and right-handed hitters have been relatively productive against him while he induced significant groundball contact.

Read at MLB Trade Rumors