Brewers acquire reliever Mears from Rockies

The Milwaukee Brewers acquired reliever Nick Mears from the Colorado Rockies in exchange for pitching prospects Bradley Blalock and Yujanyer Herrera, they announced Saturday.

Mears posted a 5.56 ERA, 2.59 FIP, 1.50 WHIP, and 57 strikeouts in 41 appearances for the Rockies this season. The 27-year-old right-hander is under team control through the 2027 season and has no minor-league options remaining.

He'll provide Milwaukee with more bullpen depth behind late-inning relievers Trevor Megill and Devin Williams, who's expected to return from the injured list soon. The Brewers' pitching depth has been tested lately, as they currently have 10 pitchers on the IL and lost another key reliever in left-hander Bryan Hudson to an oblique strain on Saturday.

Mears owns a lifetime 4.93 ERA and 1.55 WHIP with 110 strikeouts over 93 appearances across parts of five big-league seasons between the Rockies and Pittsburgh Pirates.

Blalock made his big-league debut earlier this season. The 23-year-old right-hander put up a 4.08 ERA and 1.28 WHIP with 64 strikeouts over 16 starts at Double-A Biloxi this year.

Herrera was ranked as the Brewers' No. 28 prospect by Baseball America. In 16 appearances (nine starts) split between Low-A Carolina and High-A Wisconsin this year, the 20-year-old owns a 2.91 ERA and 1.21 WHIP with a 10.2 K/9 rate and only one home run allowed.