Milwaukee standout expected to become one of the most pursued names on the free-agent market .MH
The deadline is coming up for players to accept — or deny — the qualifying offer.
Only 13 players across Major League Baseball were tendered the qualifying offer. Brandon Woodruff was one of those 13 guys and now he has until 4 p.m. ET on Nov. 18th to decide if he is going to pick it up or not. If Woodruff were to accept the qualifying offer, he would get a one-year deal worth just over $22 million for 2026. If he declines it and signs a deal elsewhere, the Brewers will get draft compensation in return based on the deal he ultimately lands.
We are just days away from finding out Woodruff’s decision. But, it sounds like he can do better than the one-year deal, per The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon.
“Right-hander Brandon Woodruff and left-hander Shota Imanaga,” Rosenthal and Sammon said. “While their circumstances are completely different, they’re both starting pitchers, occupying the segment of the market that often generates the most heated interest. Woodruff, who turns 33 in February, missed all of 2024 coming off shoulder surgery and made only 12 starts for the Milwaukee Brewers in ‘25. Still, he produced a 3.20 ERA and a strikeout-to-walk rate that was the best of his career, albeit in a limited sample.
The Brewers may have a tough time bringing Brandon Woodruff back
“The demand for starting pitching is so intense, both pitchers figure to command significant multi-year interest, especially when neither will cost as much as the top free-agent starters – Framber Valdez, Dylan Cease, Tatsuya Imai and Ranger Suárez.”
Woodruff made 12 starts in 2025 in his return to the big leagues after missing the 2024 season due to a shoulder injury. He had a 3.20 ERA in 64 2/3 innings pitched.
Spotrac is currently projecting Woodruff’s market value to be just over $34 million across two years. But, with Rosenthal and Sammon noting that the demand for starting pitching is “intense,” that very well could push Woodruff into a higher market.
He’s a two-time All-Star and has a career 3.10 ERA in 142 appearances. In comparison, Framber Valdez is widely projected to be the big-name pitching free agent this offseason. But, he has a 3.36 ERA in 188 appearances.
If the competition is stiff enough, it may make it difficult to bring Woodruff back.
