The Milwaukee Brewers made the extremely difficult decision last November to non-tender starting pitcher Brandon Woodruff. Woodruff just recently turned 31 years old but underwent shoulder surgery earlier this winter that may cause him to miss most or all of the 2024 season. 2024 also just so happened to originally be his final year of team control, so Milwaukee elected to cut ties with him rather than pay him an estimated $11.6 million.
Woodruff’s new contract with the Brewers will span a minimum of two years, there is a mutual option for a third year, and it comes with a full no-trade clause. He will make $2.5 million in 2024, $5 million in 2025, and $20 million in 2026 (or a $10 million buyout). This means that he is guaranteed $17.5 million over the next two seasons and can max out at $27.5 million.
There is no guarantee that Woodruff will pitch in 2024 or even return to pre-injury form, but if he does then the Brewers will have him under contract for a bargain. In addition to that, signing this deal now allows him to continue rehabbing with Milwaukee, be around his teammates, and provides him with financial security.
“The way things shook out for me, it made me realize that I wasn’t supposed to go out the way I was supposed to go out with the Brewers, getting hurt, not being able to pitch, then getting non-tendered. Now that I’m signed back, it kind of just hit me like, man, this is where I’m supposed to be, whether it’s two more years or whatever it looks like. I’ve still got a lot of, I guess you could say unfinished business in the Brewers’ uniform. And that’s the way I feel about it.”
