Brandon Woodruff Shares Honest 2026 Season Outlook for Brewers

The Brewers keep trucking along.

Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Brandon Woodruff (53) throws in the outfield during spring training workouts Saturday, February 14, 2026, at American Family Fields of Phoenix in Phoenix, Arizona. | Dave Kallmann / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Milwaukee Brewers had a quiet offseason and didn't spend a whole lot of money. They did trade Freddy Peralta to the New York Mets in exchange for prospects Jett Williams and Brandon Sproat and sent Caleb Durbin to the Boston Red Sox for David Hamilton and several pitchers late in the winter, but didn't make any major additions.

However, that hasn't stopped the Brewers from believing in themselves going into 2026. In fact, they believe there is still a lot to look forward to this year.

In an interview with Bob Nightengale of USA Today, Brandon Woodruff gave an honest take on where the Brewers are and shared optimism for the upcoming season.

Woodruff hypes up Brewers despite quiet offseason

Aug 31, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Brandon Woodruff (53) pitches to the Toronto Blue Jays the first inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images | Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images

"We kind of defy what's going on," Woodruff said. "We’re not supposed to be doing what we’re doing with our payroll and our market.

"You see what we spend, and it’s like how we going to win again. Then, you think, well, we did that last year without spending, we can do it again."

This has been the Brewers M.O. for the past several years. They have traded players entering the final year of their contracts and brought back Major League ready pieces that can help them right away and keep them competitive in the National League Central.

They have won the division four of the last five years and have done so several times after trading away key pieces, so this is nothing new for them.

It would not be a stretch to assume that they will ultimately get back to the top of the NL Central this year or at the very least capture a Wild Card spot. This is still a very good team, and Woodruff certainly likes what he sees.

He will be a major key to what the Brewers do this season. If he stays healthy, then the Brewers should be in good shape as they try to defend their third consecutive NL Central title and get back to the postseason.

This is nothing new for a team that operates in such a way that they continue to stay competitive despite some major losses. It will be interesting to see what the Brewers end up doing this season, but counting them out, even after the Peralta trade would be ill-advised.

Milwaukee knows how to win and do more with less resources available than most teams.