Brandon Woodruff. Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Brewers make tough decision on two-time All-Star pitcher

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Larry Brown | Last updated 11/17/23

The Milwaukee Brewers have made a decision regarding Brandon Woodruff.

On Friday, Jon Morosi reported that the Brewers were shopping Woodruff in trade talks. They apparently failed to find a taker, because the Brewers did not tender Woodruff a contract, which will make him a free agent.

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— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) November 18, 2023

Woodruff underwent shoulder surgery in October. He is expected to miss at least a good portion of the 2024 season.

The Brewers are cutting Woodruff for financial reasons. The pitcher was set to earn around $11 million in arbitration despite his known injury. The Brewers did not want to have such a significant portion of their payroll committed to a pitcher who was going to miss at least a lot of the season.

Now that he will be a free agent, it might make sense for Woodruff to sign a two-year deal with a team where he gets paid a small amount while rehabbing in 2024, and the team has an option on him for 2025 in hopes that he returns to his top form.

Woodruff was an All-Star in 2019 and 2021 for Milwaukee. He went 5-1 with a 2.28 ERA and a sparkling 0.82 WHIP over 11 starts in 2023 before being sidelined by his shoulder injury. He is 46-26 with a 3.10 ERA over his career.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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