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Teams across baseball need starting pitching help as the MLB offseason fully gets going. With this, there is an expectation that we could see all sorts of movement take place all across the league.
On the free agent market, there are multiple solid options for teams to consider, and the moves made now could directly impact everything for next season. One of the more intriguing players entering free agency this winter is veteran right-hander Brandon Woodruff, who has spent his entire career with the Milwaukee Brewers.
Woodruff, when healthy, has been one of the better pitchers in baseball over the past few years, but injuries have taken their toll on him. Teams that are interested in going after him are doing some risk calculations on the righty, but he clearly has talent out on the mound.
In just 12 games last season, Woodruff put up an ERA of 3.20, while also striking out 83 batters over 64.2 innings of work. The veteran did lose some velocity in his stuff on the mound last season, and this seems to be a concern that teams have.
The other big issue is that Woodruff has only made 23 starts over the past three seasons, so giving him a big contract could end up being a mistake for teams. Woodruff does have his history to help back him up, but injuries do factor into contract negotiations all the time.
Since the Brewers did extend the qualifying offer to Woodruff, it could dissuade other teams from going after him. Many teams would prefer not to give up a draft pick for a free agent, unless it’s for a true star player.
It would be so easy for Woodruff to just pick up the qualifying offer, especially since for 2026 the price is $22.025 million. But how all this goes down with the veteran right-hander remains to be seen.
This is just a prediction, NOT a report!
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Brandon Woodruff Will Stay With Milwaukee Brewers
Even with all the noise coming from the outside, it just makes sense for Woodruff to stay with the Brewers. The right-hander has spoken very highly about the organization and the roots that he has made within the team.
We can talk all day about how the Brewers haven’t been able to get over the hump in the postseason, but there is something special with this team. Woodruff likely sees it, and staying with Milwaukee could be the best move for himself moving forward.
Milwaukee is coming off a year that saw them earn the top seed in the National League, but they faltered in the playoffs. Woodruff could want to run things back, and turning down that guaranteed $22 million could be tough to do.
This could be a win-win for each side, with Woodruff looking to reestablish his value by proving that he can stay healthy. It would also give the Brewers another arm for the starting rotation, and they could try to finally get over the hump next season.