brewers Pitcher Brandon Woodruff accepts qualifying Offer
MILWAUKEE – November 18, 2025 – Milwaukee Brewers pitcher brandon Woodruff has accepted the teamS qualifying offer, guaranteeing his return for the 2025 regular season and the entirety of the postseason.
When healthy,Woodruff has been a key contributor to the Brewers’ pitching staff,boasting a 53-28 record and a 3.10 ERA in eight seasons with the club. The decision comes as Woodruff continues his recovery from a serious procedure to repair the anterior capsule on his throwing shoulder. He is entering his third full season removed from the surgery.
The qualifying offer represents the highest average annual value deal the Brewers have ever given a pitcher.
Despite not fully regaining his pre-surgery velocity and stuff, Woodruff pitched effectively for Milwaukee last year, posting a 3.20 ERA across 12 starts. His underlying statistics supported this performance: 83 strikeouts to 14 walks, a 3.17 fielding self-reliant pitching (FIP), and a 2.18 expected ERA, according to Baseball Savant.Woodruff’s whiff rate actually increased from 2023, and he limited hard-hit contact, registering in the 83rd percentile for hard-hit rate despite an average fastball velocity of 93 mph.
Throughout the 2025 season, Woodruff repeatedly expressed optimism about a full return to health, velocity, and stuff in 2026, after reaching a workload of 106 innings between the majors and his minor-league rehab.
A multi-year extension remains a possibility for Woodruff and the brewers, with both sides expressing interest in a deal with a lower average annual value.
Woodruff will join a Brewers rotation aiming for a fourth consecutive National League Central title. He will pitch alongside Freddy Peralta, who is coming off his best season and is under team control for one more year. The Brewers have, thus far, been firm in their stance against trading Peralta, though that could change as the offseason progresses. Young pitchers Quinn Priester, Jacob Misiorowski, Chad Patrick, Logan Henderson, and Robert Gasser are also expected to compete for rotation spots, making it a position of strength for Milwaukee.
