Brewers' owner downplays MLB insider's trade speculation following Woodruff's decision

The Milwaukee Brewers made their first major move of the 2025-26 offseason on Tuesday afternoon when the team's longest-tenured player, starting pitcher Brandon Woodruff, accepted the teams qualifying offer, agreeing to remain with the organization that drafted him back in 2015 for another season. It was an exciting moment for Brewers fans who are not yet ready to watch Big Woo leave Milwaukee, especially after injuries often prevented him from being on the mound over the last three seasons.

The move does, however, come with a sizable financial commitment. In fact, Woodruff's 2026 salary of $22.025 million, set by the qualifying offer, which is the average of the largest 125 contracts in MLB from the previous season, is the largest single-season salary for a Brewers pitcher in franchise history. As a result, despite Milwaukee's payroll being in a fine position as the offseason continues, there was plenty of speculation that Woody accepting the qualifying offer would lead to a trade of another Brewers starting pitcher, Freddy Peralta, which would shed $8 million from the team's payroll.

Said speculation was given more weight when ESPN's MLB insider, Jeff Passan, reported on Tuesday morning that Woodruff accepting the qualifying offer would greatly increase the chances of a Peralta trade, and given Passan's position in the industry, Brewers fans were led to believe that the information came straight from Milwaukee's front office or their ownership group.

However, following Woodruff's decision on Tuesday night, two writers from The Athletic contacted Milwaukee's leadership, and their response should have Brewers fans hopeful about the chances of their team keeping both starters for the 2026 season.

According to The Athletic, Brandon Woodruff's acceptance of the qualifying offer does not make a Freddy Peralta trade inevitable

Will Sammon, who previously covered the Brewers for The Athletic, and Ken Rosenthal, who has shared plenty of takes on the Crew over the years, contacted both Matt Arnold, Milwaukee's President of Baseball Operations, and Mark Attanasio, the organization's principal owner, after Woodruff's decision to accept the qualifying offer last night. In regard to how the decision affects a potential Peralta trade, Sammon and Rosenthal reported that both Arnold and Attanasio used the words "independent decisions" and expressed their excitement about the 2026 starting staff, suggesting that the two almost certainly coordinated their responses before reaching back out to The Athletic.

From a payroll standpoint, the Brewers certainly don't need to trade Peralta. Sure, they may have to get creative with a few decisions during the rest of the winter, but Milwaukee can absolutely afford to roster both Woodruff and Peralta in 2026, especially because neither player poses a financial commitment beyond next season.

From a roster standpoint, Milwaukee certainly has the arms to be able to trade Peralta and reinforce their farm system this winter, but the Brewers' ace offers both experience and clubhouse leadership that isn't easily replaced by the younger, unproven arms on their roster. Put another way, the Brewers could absolutely remain a competitive team without Peralta in 2026, but their chances of returning to the NLCS or even defending their NL Central crown decrease significantly without him atop their rotation.

All in all, there are bound to be quotes throughout the winter that lead Brewers fans to believe a Freddy Peralta trade is more or less likely than it was the day prior. However, hearing from both Arnold and Attanasio that the team is viewing the Woodruff and Peralta situations as "independent decisions" is encouraging news for Brewers fans, as it suggests another offseason blockbuster is not inevitably on Milwaukee's horizon as some had previously suggested.