Brandon Woodruff could enter rare territory with history-making decision

After Freddy Peralta and the trade rumors surrounding him dominated the first few days of the offseason for the Milwaukee Brewers, it's been Brandon Woodruff's name stealing the headlines over the last several days.

Woodruff declined his $20 million mutual option back on Monday afternoon, and on Thursday the Brewers extended him the qualifying offer. In brief, the qualifying offer is a one-year deal, with a salary that is determined by the average of the top 125 salaries in MLB from the season prior. This year, the qualifying offer is worth $22.05 million, meaning Woodruff, if he elects to do so, could remain in Milwaukee for one more season with a sizable salary before entering free agency once again next offseason.

It's no easy decision for the longest-tenured Brewer, and perhaps the most consequential of his career up to this point. On one hand, accepting the qualifying offer gives him another season to prove he's a top-tier starting pitcher before earning what could be a huge payday ahead of the 2027 season. On the other hand, if Woody continues to battle injuries in 2026 as he has in each of the last three years, he may be throwing out his best chance to earn a long-term deal and secure guaranteed money through the final seasons of his career.

Should Woodruff choose to accept the qualifying offer, he would not only be sticking by the side of the team that drafted, developed, and supported him throughout his career, but he would also enter into some very rare territory.

Brandon Woodruff would be the first Brewer to ever accept the qualifying offer and would become the highest-paid pitcher in franchise history

The qualifying offer has only been in place since 2012. Paired with the fact that the offers are hardly ever accepted, the fact that Woodruff would be the first Brewer in franchise history to accept the offer is not too wild. In fact, according to MLB.com's Andrew Simon, only 14 players have ever accepted the qualifying offer, with the most recent example being Cincinnati Reds pitcher Nick Martinez.

What's perhaps more notable is the fact that if Woodruff accepts the qualifying offer, he would hold the highest single-season salary of any pitcher in Brewers history. That title is currently held by Zack Grienke, who earned $13.5 million in 2011 after the Brewers acquired him from the Kansas City Royals. Grienke beats out one of the most infamous contracts in Brewers history, a four-year, $50 million deal with Matt Garza that paid him $12.5 million per year. Woodruff and Corbin Burnes made $10.8 million and $10.01 million in 2023, respectively, but neither ever surpassed Grienke's $13.5 million salary. Other pitchers have had higher salaries when the Brewers acquired them at the halfway point of the season, but Milwaukee never paid anywhere near $22.05 million for any of those acquisitions.

With the Brewers projected to have a payroll in the $120-130 million range, and Christian Yelich owed roughly $24 million in 2026, adding another contract north of $20 million to the mix would be difficult for Matt Arnold and the front office to navigate. That said, the Brewers don't have many holes on their roster entering the 2026 season, and keeping an experienced starter like Woodruff on their roster would be huge for the team's chances next season.