The Milwaukee Brewers came into the offseason with two massive decisions pertaining to their pitching staff. Freddy Peralta is entering the final year of his contract. In similar situations, the Brewers have traded players like Corbin Burnes and Devin Williams in the past. They could look to trade Peralta in the coming months, too.
The Brewers also needed to find a new contract with veteran pitcher Brandon Woodruff. Woodruff was given the qualifying offer, but it seemed unclear if he would accept it. The righty could test free agency and pursue a deal worth upwards of $50 million on the open market.
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But this week, Woodruff opted to accept the $22 million qualifying offer from the Brewers to remain with the team next year.
Brandon Woodruff discusses “easy decision” to accept qualifying offer
Brandon Woodruff throws some pitches before the Tuesday Milwaukee Brewers National League Wild Card playoff series at American Family Field in Milwaukee on Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. – Mike De Sisti / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | Mike De Sisti / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The decision seemed difficult, but Woodruff recently described it as an “easy decision” that he didn’t take lightly.
“Come on, that’s a large [salary] number and it’s a place where I’m comfortable and I love,” Woodruff said. “Also, I took it as they really wanted me here. I know the ramifications of offering one-year and $22 [million] to a pitcher in the Brewers organization. That has never happened, so I don’t take that lightly.
“So when they extended that to me, I took it as a signal that yes, they were serious about winning and wanting to move forward with me and had confidence in my abilities. That was all I needed to see from them. Ultimately, it was a pretty easy decision when we broke everything down.”
Woodruff’s salary for 2026 is the most the Brewers have given to a pitcher in their franchise history. While that’s shocking, Woodruff should be well worth the $22 million if he can stay healthy next year.
This opens the door for the Brewers to trade Peralta, though they don’t seem to be in a hurry to do so. Still, the Brewers have a lot more flexibility this season with Woodruff under contract.
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