The Milwaukee Brewers do not spend a lot of money, which makes Brandon Woodruff's qualifying offer worrisome.
The Milwaukee Brewers are not one of Major League Baseball's higher spending organizations, which might make the return of right-hander Brandon Woodruff a head scratching decision in the eyes of some.
Woodruff accepted a $22.025 million qualifying offer from the Brewers to bring him back for the 2026 season. It is a substantial number for one year, and it has drawn criticism from Bleacher Report's Tim Kelly, who put the deal on his list of "The 6 Biggest Overpays Of 2025 MLB Free Agency."
"They say there's no such thing as a bad one-year deal, but when you're a franchise like the Brewers that doesn't spend much money, you can't afford to commit more than $22 million to a player that's hardly pitched the last two seasons," he wrote.
"Granted, Woodruff posted a 3.20 ERA in 2025, but that came over just 12 starts as a lat strain knocking him out of the postseason. Mind you, he didn't make his 2025 debut until July 6 as he continued to recover from right shoulder surgery that forced him to miss the entirety of the 2024 campaign. Over the past three seasons, Woodruff has logged 131.2 innings total."
Woodruff's injury history is the biggest cause for concern with this qualifying offer. When he is healthy, he has the tools to be one of the best starters in baseball, but health is a huge contingency here.
"Woodruff was an All-Star in both 2019 and 2021, finishing fifth in NL Cy Young Award in the second of those campaigns," Kelly added. "He has a 3.10 ERA across parts of eight seasons, all of which have been spent in Milwaukee. Again, this isn't a discussion of whether Woodruff is worth $22.025 million when healthy."
"The problem is betting on Woodruff's health hasn't been a winning proposition in recent years. Milwaukee likely hoped when they extended the qualifying offer to Woodruff that he would decline it, setting them up to receive draft-pick compensation when he signed elsewhere. Instead, Woodruff accepted the QO, leaving the Brewers with an expensive question mark heading into 2026."
The upside for the Brewers in this situation is that if Woodruff can remain on the field, it gives them a legitimate option in the rotation if the front office decides to move on from Freddy Peralta, who is garnering interest around the league after a standout season that was followed up by Milwaukee picking up his $8 million club option.
Regardless of the outcome, the Brewers must stick with Woodruff for now.