Brandon Woodruff will stick with the Milwaukee Brewers after all.
The right-hander has agreed to a backloaded $17.5 million, two-year contract with Milwaukee, which includes a mutual option for 2026. The trade was made three months after the Brewers let the disabled pitcher to test free agency instead of giving him a contract in 2024.
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“I’ve still got a lot of, I guess you could say unfinished business in a Brewers uniform,” Woodruff told reporters on Wednesday via Zoom. “That is how I feel about it. That’s why I’m so excited; for a while, I thought that was the end of everything.”
Milwaukee also announced on Wednesday that catcher Gary Sánchez has signed a one-year contract with a mutual option for 2025. Sánchez has 19 home runs last season while playing for the San Diego Padres and the New York Mets.
The 31-year-old Woodruff is anticipated to miss the most, if not all, of the 2017 season while recovering from shoulder surgery. However, the new contract might keep the two-time All-Star in Milwaukee when he returns to the mound, whether this year or next.
“Back in November when we non-tendered Brandon, we said we had to make a very difficult decision relating to one of the best pitchers and human beings in franchise history,” Brewers President of Baseball Operations, Matt Arnold According to a statement released on Wednesday. “We also stated that we were quite open to his return to Milwaukee. I am delighted to announce that Brandon has rejoined the Brewers family. We look forward to supporting Brandon through his recovery and eventual return to the mound at American Family Field.”
Woodruff will earn $2.5 million this year and $5 million by 2025. The agreement contains a $20 million mutual option for 2026 with a $10 million buyout, with half paying on January 15, 2026 and the remaining due on July 15, 2026. The deal also includes a full no-trade clause and a hotel suite for road trips.
When the Brewers decided not to tender him, Woodruff was eligible for arbitration
