Astros Have Chance to Pursue Brewers Free Agent

At first glance, the Houston Astros basically look set for starting pitching in 2024.

Justin Verlander will be back. Framber Valdez is set for another year of arbitration. So is Jose Urquidy. Luis Garcia and Lance McCullers Jr. should be back from injury at some point in 2024. Plus, there’s Hunter Brown and J.P. France.

The pieces are there, but it never hurts to plan for the future. And that’s what one particular non-tendered pitcher represents for the Astros and the rest of MLB — the future.

The Milwaukee Brewers non-tendered pitcher Brandon Woodruff one of 63 players that were non-tendered and hit free agency. But few of those players have Woodruff’s track record — and question mark.

Woodruff made nine starts in 2023 as he dealt with shoulder issues. When he pitched, he was sharp, with a 2.59 ERA. But the shoulder issue forced the Brewers to shut him down in September.

After the season, he underwent surgery to repair the anterior capsule in his throwing shoulder. It’s likely he will miss a good portion of 2024, if not all of it.

Woodruff was entering his final year of salary arbitration, where he could have made $11 million. He will become a free agent after the 2024 season.

The Brewers could have tendered Woodruff. They could have gotten him into a team-friendly extension. They even, reportedly, talked with other teams about trading Woodruff, per MLB.com. But those talks went nowhere.

So, what could the Astros do? They have two pitchers that will miss part of 2024. Should they acquire a third? There are a couple of good reasons to consider it.

First, when healthy, Woodruff is a quality starter.

In seven seasons with Milwaukee he went 46-26 with a 3.10 ERA. He has 788 career strikeouts and 176 career walks. He struck out 10.4 hitters per nine innings and walked just 2.3 per innings.

His best season was 2022, during which he went 13-4 with a 3.05 ERA. He was an All-Star in the 2019 and 2021 seasons.

In 2021, he finished fifth in Cy Young voting despite a 9-10 record. He had a 2.56 ERA.

The right-hander was part of helping the Brewers reach the playoffs five of the last six years.

Second, by signing him, the Astros could make him a qualifying offer when he does hit free agency.

A long-term deal isn’t required. The Astros could sign him to a two-year, or even three-year deal, that is filled with incentives and options that protect both sides and could even give Woodruff access to free agency once he’s healthy.

So, yes, the Astros have plenty of options. But adding Woodruff wouldn’t be superfluous. It would be insurance for 2025, and perhaps beyond.