New Brandon Woodruff Buzz Would Be Huge For Brewers

The Milwaukee Brewers have a lot of decisisons to make this offseason, but everything starts with Brandon Woodruff.

His mutual option unsurprisingly wasn't picked up for the 2026 season, but the Brewers tendered him a qualifying offer. If Woodruff were to accept the qualifying offer, he would stick around with Milwaukee for the 2026 season on a deal worth just over $22 million, not to mention the $10 million buyout he also gets with the mutual option declined.

Woodruff isn't the Brewers' only free agent out there. Others are Rhys Hoskins, Danny Jansen, Shelby Miller, Jordan Montgomery, and José Quintana. MLB.com's Thomas Harrigan gave some insight into the Brewers' free agents and noted that a Woodruff return is still possible.

"With Woodruff and Quintana hitting free agency and Freddy Peralta a candidate to be traded before his final season under club control, the Brewers may be facing some significant rotation turnover going into 2026," Harrigan said. "Woodruff has spent his entire career with the Brewers, even returning to the club on a two-year, $17.5 million deal in free agency after the 2023 season, at which point he was early in his recovery from right shoulder surgery.

The Brewers would be lucky to keep Brandon Woodruff

Sep 17, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Brandon Woodruff (53) throws against the Los Angeles Angels in the first inning at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

"The 32-year-old returned from that procedure in 2025 and posted a 3.20 ERA over 12 starts before suffering a right lat strain, the latest in a long line of injuries that have impacted his career. Amid those health problems, he has pitched to a stellar 2.96 ERA with a 4.89 K/BB ratio since the beginning of 2019, making two All-Star teams in that span. Woodruff did receive a qualifying offer from Milwaukee, so a return is still possible."

Arguably, keeping Woodruff should be a priority and offering him the qualifying offer was the right call. Even though the price tag is high, especially when taking into account the buyout, he had a 3.20 ERA in 2025 in 12 starts. You would've thought there would've been some sort of rust after missing the 2024 season, but he didn't skip a beat. Imagine how good he can be in 2026 with a few more months of recovery under his belt?

Milwaukee can contend in 2026 and keeping Woodruff would undoubtedly help with that. The Brewers took the right step with the qualifying offer and it's positive that Harrigan said a return is possible.

More MLB: Brewers-Freddy Peralta Rumors Get Big Update From MLB Insider