Brandon Woodruff makes qualifying offer decision Brewers fans have been hoping for

Brandon Woodruff is back! The longest-tenured Milwaukee Brewer has officially accepted the team's $22.025 million qualifying offer and will remain with the organization where he has spent the last 11 years, nine of which have been with the big-league club. It's an unprecedented moment in Brewers history as no other player has accepted the qualifying offer since it was implemented in 2012. Additionally, Woodruff's 2026 salary will be the highest single-season salary of any pitcher in Brewers history.

It's the second time that it looked like the Brewers might lose Woodruff to free agency, but managed to work out an agreement that made sense for both sides. Back in February of 2024, following a season where Woodruff was sidelined in the days leading up to the postseason with a major shoulder injury requiring surgery that would cause him to miss the 2024 campaign, the Brewers signed their fan favorite starting pitcher to a back-loaded two-year deal. The contract allowed Woody to rehab in a familiar place and make his return to a major league mound for the Brewers in the 2025 season, which he did in triumphant fashion last year.

The Brewers once again looked like they were in danger of losing Woody when their 2025 season ultimately came to an end in the NLCS. Woodruff declined the $20 million mutual option that he held for the 2026 season, earning a hefty $10 million buyout in the process. However, that wasn't the Brewers’ last hope of retaining their longest-tenured player for the 2026 season; they still held the qualifying offer card, which essentially functions as a one-year deal at a price determined by the average of the 125 highest-paid MLB players from the previous season.

Now, after Woodruff's acceptance of the offer, Milwaukee has made their first major move of the 2024-25 offseason, and to get a pitcher of Woodruff's caliber for another year without the risk of a long-term commitment is a huge win for Matt Arnold and the Brewers' front office.

Brandon Woodruff accepts qualifying offer, set to return to Brewers starting rotation for 2026 season

While injuries have plagued Woodruff's recent seasons with the Brew Crew, there is no denying that the now-32-year-old right-hander is one of the best starting pitchers in franchise history. He holds a career 3.20 ERA that drops down to 2.98 when you take out a rookie season during which Woody only tossed 43 innings. He's a 2x All-Star, shockingly only a one-time Top-5 Cy Young Award finisher, and he produced one of the most memorable moments in Brewers postseason history when he homered off of Clayton Kershaw in Game 1 of the 2018 NLCS.

Bringing in a pitcher of Woodruff's caliber would generally either require the Brewers to hand out a long-term contract, of which they are not well-equipped to do, or part with a considerable amount of prospect capital, which they've also been known to avoid doing in recent years. The qualifying offer provided a unique option that allowed Woodruff to prove his health and talent before hitting free agency once again next winter while giving the Brewers a potentially elite arm for the 2026 season, without hamstringing their payroll in the years to follow.

Assuming the Brewers hang on to Freddy Peralta for the 2026 season, which is by no means a guarantee now that they have agreed to a $22.025 million deal with another starting pitcher, their starting rotation will consist of Peralta, Woodruff, Quinn Priester, Jacob Misiorowski, and some combination of Logan Henderson, Tobias Myers, Robert Gasser, and Chad Patrick, assuming no other additions are made. That's the type of rotation that should have the rest of the NL Central scratching their heads over how they can topple the Brew Crew in 2026.

It's an excellent day for Brewers fans, one that ensures they will see the fan-favorite Woodruff on the bump for their team once again. For Woodruff, it's the largest payday of his career and an opportunity for a quieter offseason where he can focus on getting healthy rather than trying to negotiate a contract. Both parties are hoping that the 2026 season is a healthy and productive one for Woody, who will continue donning the Brewers' threads for at least one more year.