Reports that the Brewers will listen to offers for Freddy Peralta are already circulating, as he is in the final year of his contract. These reports also hint that Brandon Woodruff may be on the way out due to a mutual option.

That said, a big question mark hangs over MLB, and that is a potential lockout after the 2026 season. For that reason, it may make sense for the Brewers to load up and go for broke – make an all-in play for the World Series and a jackpot of post-season cash in 2026.

For starters, let’s look at perhaps the best way to bolster the rotation: Picking up Woodruff’s mutual option. The $20 million salary is a bit misleading. It would seem logical for the Brewers to pass on their end. But this wasn’t an ordinary mutual option.

Brandon Woodruff was given a $10 million buyout for 2026 —an abnormally high ratio to his salary that year —according to Baseball Reference. By contrast, Rhys Hoskins will get a $4 million buyout for a projected $18 million salary, Danny Jansen will get $500,000 for a projected $12 million salary, and Jose Quintana is due $2 million against a projected $15 million.

Because of that, the Crew already has a substantial commitment to Woodruff, representing $10 million of the $55 million in guaranteed money already committed for that season, per Baseball Reference. But it also means that Brewers owner Mark Attanasio doesn’t need to commit $20 million to Woodruff—he only needs to commit another $10 million.

Woodruff came back with a solid performance in 2025 but missed time in September and October with a strained lat, and he could use the 2026 season with Milwaukee to demonstrate what he can do for a full season. Picking up the mutual option is a win-win for both Milwaukee and Woodruff.

Picking up Peralta’s $8 million for 2026 is just as easy a call for the team to make, given his performance in 2025. Peralta and Woodruff should help lock down two spots in the rotation. That leaves three more for a five-man rotation, or four more if the Crew decides to go with six.

While a five-man rotation is the typical approach in Major League Baseball, the Brewers have the depth and talent to do things differently. This may be the prudent approach, given how the team seemed to run out of gas late in the season, and it allows them to be cautious with some of their young arms – specifically, Logan Henderson, Jacob Misiorowski, and Robert Gasser.

Henderson, Misiorowski, and Gasser are all coming off injuries. While Misiorowski performed well in the playoffs, he did spend time on the injured list, while Henderson (flexor strain) and Gasser (Tommy John surgery recovery) dealt with arm issues in 2025. Milwaukee may want to use an option year on Gasser and let him build up in Triple-A (they have the pitching depth for it), but he is still a solid choice for the rotation. But Misiorowski and Henderson will probably claim spots in the rotation.

For the fifth and sixth spots in that rotation, the Crew has a wealth of options: Quinn Priester had a dominant run. Tobias Myers showed in 2024 that he could put up top-of-the-rotation numbers. Chad Patrick was no slouch early in 2025, making the Brewers the clear winner of the Abraham Toro trade with Oakland. Carlos Rodriguez put up excellent numbers for Triple-A Nashville in 2025. DL Hall and Aaron Ashby have performed well as multi-inning relievers in Milwaukee and could be worth a look.

The 2025 season showed the Brewers have the talent to win. In 2026, a “super six” rotation could give the Crew a massive edge in the playoffs with fresher arms.