How Brandon Woodruff's decision changes the Brewers' 2025-26 offseason

Yesterday was a good day to be a Milwaukee Brewers fan. With uncertainty swirling around their starting rotation picture in the early days of the 2025-26 offseason, Brewers fans not only had to hear trade rumors regarding their ace, Freddy Peralta, shortly after the NLCS completed, but they also had to endure seeing Brandon Woodruff's name projected to sign with a team not named the Milwaukee Brewers. While the Peralta situation remains, Brewers fans got some relief on Monday afternoon, when Woodruff accepted the organization's $22.025 million qualifying offer.

Many were surprised that not only Woodruff, but three other players accepted qualifying offers on Monday evening, breaking from the norm that is declining said offer. In Woody's case, fans were simultaneously surprised that the Brewers were willing to agree to the sizable 2026 salary and that Woodruff didn't seek out a longer-term deal on the free agent market. Whether it is the impact of the looming potential lockout or the fact that Woodruff plans on signing a longer-term deal with Milwaukee in the coming months, as MLB insider Ken Rosenthal proposed on the social media platform X, the Brewers will either way have the benefit of Woodruff's services for the 2026 campaign.

The addition of Woodruff solves one offseason puzzle for President of Baseball Operations Matt Arnold and company, assuming they elect not to trade Peralta this winter. With Peralta, Woodruff, Quinn Priester, Jacob Misiorowski, Chad Patrick, Logan Henderson, and Robert Gasser all options for the 2026 rotation, not to mention Aaron Ashby, Tobias Myers, and DL Hall who all might be interested in converting back to starting pitchers prior to the 2026 season, the Brewers don't need to add another starter this offseason.

However, the Brewers may still create a need in the starting rotation this winter, either by trading one of the younger pitchers listed above for help elsewhere on their roster or if Peralta and his $8 million salary do end up getting dealt. ESPN's Jeff Passan did suggest that Woodruff accepting the qualifying offer would increase the chances of a Peralta trade, and such a scenario would once again complicate the Brewers' 2026 rotation picture.

Meanwhile, if the Brewers do hope to improve elsewhere on their roster, they may have to get creative, with much of the money that came off the books this offseason being reinvested into returning Woodruff for the 2026 season.

Brewers appear set in their rotation for 2026, Peralta trade not needed for financial purposes

According to Spotrac, the Brewers have had a final payroll of $125 million or higher in each of the last four seasons. In 2025, following two consecutive NL Central titles during which attendance was sky high, the Brewers finished with a $138 million payroll. For consistency's sake, using the same website to calculate the Brewers current 2026 payroll, with Woodruff's qualifying offer, projected arbitration salaries, pro-rated pre-arbitration salaries, and Ryan Braun and Lorenzo Cain's deferred payments accounted for, Milwaukee is currently sitting at roughly $115 million. Payrolls can differ site-by-site depending on what is all included, but Spotrac would lead Brewers fans to believe that Arnold and company presumably have, conservatively, $10-15 million to spend this offseason following Woody's decision, assuming the team leaves some wiggle room for midseason additions.

In today's MLB, $10-15 million won't buy you a superstar, but it can certainly fill a roster hole or create competition and redundancy at a position where help is needed. The Brewers could use the money for an offensive upgrade, with their current defensive versatility keeping the options open, or bring in another elite arm to their bullpen, creating a formidable partner for their starting rotation. Or it could be used to extend one of their talented young stars; both Brice Turang and Sal Frelick are extension candidates this winter.

However, what is perhaps most revealing and most important about comparing the Brewers' current projected payroll to the money that they've spent in year's past is the fact that they don't now have to trade Peralta for financial purposes. Some speculated that the Brewers were only willing to pay Woodruff's $22.025 million qualifying offer because it would inevitably be accompanied with a Peralta trade, but Milwaukee can certainly operate at the payroll number resulting from keeping both starting pitchers on their 2026 roster.

Therefore, while it's a lot of money for one player, something not common on the Milwaukee Brewers' payroll, Woodruff's salary, which happens to be the highest ever handed to a pitcher in franchise history, is by no means detrimental to the Brewers' 2025-26 offseason plans. Sure, it may make for a quieter winter (or perhaps a far louder one if Passan's rumors are to be believed), but Brewers fans should view Woodruff's decision as an emphatic check off their offseason to-do list rather than one that ruins the list altogether.