Brandon Woodruff has accepted the Brewers’ qualifying offer, meaning the veteran right-hander will return to Milwaukee for 2026 on a one-year, $22.025 million deal.
After missing the entire 2024 season due to right-shoulder surgery, Woodruff returned to his previous excellent self in a dozen starts in 2025, posting a 3.20 ERA with 83 strikeouts and only 14 walks across 64 2/3 innings with the Brewers. Woodruff returned on July 6 and proved to be a key cog in the second half for a team that led the Majors in wins. Woodruff also had a 99th percentile expected ERA (2.18), to go along with a 3.17 FIP.
Here’s where Woodruff’s situation and future outlook is a bit uncertain. Woodruff, if you remember, missed the final few weeks of the regular season and didn’t pitch in the postseason due to a lat strain. While that specific injury isn’t necessarily that concerning, it was still another injury on his track record that prevented him from contributing to the Brewers’ postseason run. With Woodruff turning 33 before Opening Day and having thrown just 131 2/3 innings from 2023-25, there’s some uncertainty about how much he’ll contribute next season.
There’s also the question of whether Woodruff’s pre-injury stuff returns next year. While he was dominant in his 12 starts, Woodruff also did so with diminished stuff, sitting around 93 mph on his fastball compared to 96 mph when he was at his peak. With a fully healthy offseason and more time removed from his shoulder surgery, it’s possible we see that velocity return next season. And even if it doesn’t, Woodruff showed he could succeed without premium velocity in ‘25, when he posted elite strikeout and walk rates, along with strong batted ball metrics (83rd percentile hard-hit rate and 69th percentile barrel rate).
If Woodruff is healthy, there’s no doubt he’s going to be a frontline starter. Obviously, there’s some concern about how much output he’ll provide, but the ability to pitch like a No. 1 or 2 starter is still there.