Make it make sense

[LouisEly]

6 hours ago, OldSchoolSnapper said:

Woodruff isn't going to exercise his side of the option but if he's even willing to talk, the Brewers need to listen. I think he's going to get priced out of our capability, but it would be nuts to let him go if he's willing to sign here for our price, injury concerns or not.

With the second injury that ended his season, and with the way the Brewers carefully used him during the season, I don't see anybody giving Woody more than 1/$5M, much less a multi-year deal.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

I think you guys are going to be way off on this, but I hope you're right. I'll be very surprised if he takes that option. 

At a minimum I think 1/5mm is WAY off. 

[brewers4eric]

The core pieces of the team are in place.  The young pitchers performed well.  We just need to find some guys that will help us win 8 more games next season.  The sweep to the LA billionaires hurt, but a series loss to the Cubs would have been the equivalent of taking a punch to the sack while having my heart ripped out of my chest.  

[LouisEly]

On 10/18/2025 at 12:08 PM, OldSchoolSnapper said:

I think you guys are going to be way off on this, but I hope you're right. I'll be very surprised if he takes that option. 

At a minimum I think 1/5mm is WAY off. 

I think teams are well aware of how careful the Brewers were with Woody this season with pitch counts, how many times they let him get up and down, manipulating their rotation so that he could be pushed back a day or two after a lot of pitches, etc..  Add to that the lat injury that shut him down for the rest of the season and you have a guy who over the last three seasons has started a total of 23 games and pitched a total of 131 innings and finished each of the last three seasons on IR.

Put all of that together and I would be shocked if anybody gives him eight figures.

[rickh150]

Maybe for 1 year 2mil…so low since he would be taking up a spot for arguably a better pitcher;  he could have pitched much earlier THIS season but team chose to throw him in the minors while starters were throwing well.

Way too much risk…just as I said 2 years ago.  Even crazier now to bring him back at half price….or half that.

[MrTPlush]

Ummm, yah, so Woodruff is going to get more than $5mil. Lol

He could end up with a one year deal, but PLENTY of teams are jumping in and taking a shot on him in that situation. 

[wildcat83]

On 10/18/2025 at 11:44 AM, Thurston Fluff said:

The other part of my reasoning is to maximize his future value he needs to be in a good situation to have a good year. If he goes to a place for an extra $10 million that he'd get here but get pushed too hard or not have the pitching pedigree the Brewers have he could lose far more than he gains. I don't think there's a better situation for a one year prove it deal than what the Brewers offer.

I just don’t see Woody signing a 1 year deal at this point in his career.  He’ll take the free 10 million from the Brewers and someone will give him a 3 year deal this winter.

[SF70]

Woody is going to get paid over $50M by someone. 

His latest injury was expected and teams know this and Woody showed TOR performance in his outings last year. His lat injury should be past him well before ST and another year post-surgery could add a tick of velo back to his improved arsenal.

Hes priced out of MKE and I think the team gives him a QO and we get a top 35 pick in the 2026 draft.

[GAME05]

Very average starters are getting $20-25 these days. Woodruff already got $17m from the Brewers to hopefully pitch 3/4 of a season. The Brewers can't afford him and he's not coming back.

Of course we'd all love to see Peralta back and reportedly he really really wants to stay, but he's too valuable to just let walk after next year. You can't judge the Burnes trade by how the prospects ended up playing but by their potential as prospects, and to that the trade wasn't a bad one at all.   

[Roderick]

Yeah, Woodruff is going to get $10M from the Brewers.  No way the option is exercised, it is just the Brewer way to defer money on his 2025 contract.

Then the negotiations start.  I can see teams only wanting Woodruff for one year because of his injuries and the potential lockout.  So I think he would probably get somewhere between 1/$20M-1/$24M from someone.  If Milwaukee is able to do that, maybe he comes back.  I only see them signing Woodruff if they have a trade for Peralta in place that is at least thought to be better then what we got for Burnes.  They need one of these two pitchers on the roster next year.

[Outlander]

Woodruff is another year older and never going to work a full season again. Time to move on, Brewers can't count on him.

[thebruce44]

On 10/18/2025 at 10:34 AM, LouisEly said:

With the second injury that ended his season, and with the way the Brewers carefully used him during the season, I don't see anybody giving Woody more than 1/$5M, much less a multi-year deal.

I could see the Mets, Dodgers, Yankees, and Phillies all lining up to give me more than that.

[Samurai Bucky]

11 minutes ago, thebruce44 said:

I could see the Mets, Dodgers, Yankees, and Phillies all lining up to give me more than that.

They have to replace Kershaw with someone...

[wntrtxn21]

6 minutes ago, Samurai Bucky said:

They have to replace Kershaw with someone...

I don't know how active the Dodgers will be for Woodruff. Besides the big 4 they threw against the Crew, the have Gonsolin, Grove, Ryan, and Stone coming off injury sometime in early 2026. 

[BrewerFan]

On 10/18/2025 at 10:37 AM, Samurai Bucky said:

I might even suggest August 15 - September 1.

During that time, I am not sure the arms were given a full opportunity to recover.  That not only led to injuries, but let to fatigue later on in the year.  

Someone made an interesting point on the NLCS broadcast -- the timeline for Snell is like he is pitching in June.  Ohtani the same.  The Brewers had a lot of innings on their arms and, I would suggest, extra stress because of the 21 games in 20 days.

I would also suggest that we, as fans, expect players that are dominant in AAA to automatically be dominant in the show.  

The Brewers lack of depth during the season contributed to the poor performance in the playoffs.

The problem with this theory is... that's not really what happened.

Guys who were dominant or even just good in AAA... they were better in the big leagues. Patrick, Henderson, Miz... not Gasser, but he was kinda in a tough spot(which is why he was the one guy we all pointed to and said he shouldn't be on the roster, but he was also like Snell, pitching his "June," for us in the postseason). 

 

I would feel better if it was just the Brewers got tired and they couldn't recover... but the fact is, their pitching was great. There isn't a bigger Turang fan on this board(I mean, unless his family is on here, but I like him a lot, that's the point)... but he was a huge catalyst for us all year and he did next to nothing.

Frelick wasn't getting on base. 
Yelich was lost up there. 

And the Dodgers pitching was just incredible. 

[BrewerFan]

On 10/19/2025 at 7:36 PM, LouisEly said:

Add to that the lat injury that shut him down for the rest of the season and you have a guy who over the last three seasons has started a total of 23 games and pitched a total of 131 innings and finished each of the last three seasons on IR.

Put all of that together and I would be shocked if anybody gives him eight figures.

The previous 3 seasons, Matthew Boyd had started 23 games, 141 innings and he got 2 years and 36M GTD. 

The Dodgers are paying Koepech 5M. They gave Knebel 5M coming off an injury and a terrible couple years. The Phillies then gave him 10M for pitching 25 innings and that was 4 years ago.

 

I think you're drastically underestimating the market for a SPer like Woodruff, even with the injuries. deGrom got nearly 40M over 5 years plus an option at 37M after coming off two injury riddled seasons. Then threw 40 innings the next two years... and I don't think that's deterring anyone. 

I could keep going, there's Ben Sheets. He was a much riskier choice than Woody and he got paid 8 figures before he'd came back and proved he could throw the ball again.

 

I think if he signs a one year deal, it'll be for more than the QO. I think WE offer the QO because it seems like a really good bet he'd decline it. The very cheapest I could see him playing for this year would be... 10M and that'd be opting in and that's because... I have an irrational belief that he loves Milwaukee and because Attanasio has said he's not only(among) his favorite players, but favorite people. 

But I know that's... not really going to drive his decision unless the difference in salary isn't that big.

 

We will see though. You may prove to be prophetic. And if you are and he gets 5M a year... I REALLY hope we're the team that gives it to him. 

[LouisEly]

41 minutes ago, BrewerFan said:

I think you're drastically underestimating the market for a SPer like Woodruff, even with the injuries.

It's not just the injuries.  It's that even after he came back they couldn't/didn't start him on four days rest.

Only once in 2025 did he start a game on fewer than five days rest, and that was his seventh start.  And the one time they did start him on less than five days rest they only let him go four innings and 65 pitches.  Again, that was his seventh start - he should have been stretched out and able to go longer than that.

They had to manipulate their rotation with the off days and bringing guys up for spot starts for him to try to get through the season, and even then they weren't successful.  When you have a bunch of days off you can manipulate a rotation, when you get an extra arm on the staff in September you can manipulate a rotation, but you cannot manipulate a rotation for an entire season. 

Add to that he'll be 33 next year and I do not see anyone giving him a multi-year deal or an 8-figure deal.

[CheezWizHed]

On 10/17/2025 at 10:51 PM, pitchleague said:

Unfortunately, we don't have the luxury of putting our pitchers on the IL in the middle of the season to save up their arms for the post-season.  We just don't have a team that can say, "eh, we'll still win 90 games regardless."

This statement really confuses me.  

Did we win 90 games this season? Check.  97

Did we have our pitchers on IL in the middle of the season? Let's see:

• Freddy - No
• Woodruff - Yes. Beginning of the year until July
• Miz - Yes Early Aug for 2 weeks
• Quint - Yes late Sept for 2 weeks
• Priester - No
• Megill - Yes Late Aug-Late Sept

So I guess we did that too. There was a point where I felt like they were doing it deliberately to get people rest mid-season with whatever minimal injury they had.

Too bad Uribe and Ashby didn't get that rest late in the season. 

[Underachiever]

I don't like to start threads, but I want to get some things off my chest and a thread with this title seems like a good place to rant.

I am an optimistic fan. I have predicted 90+ wins the last few seasons. I go to a good number of games, attend spring training, and am old enough to have been a Brewer fan since 1970. I dumped $3942 into NLDS and NLCS playoff tickets (Games 6 and 7 will be refunded, of course) because if there was going to be a World Series in Milwaukee, I was going to be there. 

These playoffs broke me.

Same old, same old. I was at both Arizona games in 2023, all three Mets games last year, and both home Dodger games this year. I cannot imagine enjoying next season as much because I will feel as if the lack of slugging in the playoffs will doom the Brewers once again. I was in a meeting in Chicago on the day of NLCS Game 4. When the meeting ended, it was 3-0 in the first. I abandoned my plan of driving to a bar to watch. I just drove home to Madison. 

Bites of the apple, run-prevention, and the AAA bullpen shuttle that I have come to respect and enjoy won't matter if the Brewers cannot score in the post-season. This model works in the regular season, but fails in October. If they run this back without significant offensive help, I will watch with detachment next year. No more woodpeckers, get me a raptor (not Brent Suter).

I can't even get as worked up about the Brewers' Annual Devastating Injury on the Eve of the Playoffs, 2025 edition. Losing Brandon Woodruff was not the reason the Brewers couldn't get past the Dodgers. Having LA score 2, 3, 5 and 5 runs should not be insurmountable, but it was this year. Milwaukee has scored 32 runs in their last 16 playoff games, dating back to 2019. They went to game 7 of the LCS in 2018 with Ryan Braun, Mike Moustakas, and Travis Shaw playing significant innings despite defense that was less than stellar. But they scored 38 runs in 10 playoff games that year. I'd be willing to take that tradeoff.

Maybe none of this matters. There is no single bat that can bridge the gap between LA and MKE. There probably aren't even two bats. But, damnit, I'll take a puncher's chance at this point.

EDIT: I messed up, as was pointed out in a later post. The 32 runs in 16 games disregards the Cubs series. I just forgot, and was thinking only of series where they lost. The Brewers scored 22 runs in those five games alone. So, it's 54 runs in 21 games. Better, but still around 2.6 per game. I still believe that the Brewers don't slug enough to win playoff series.

[RWeeksFan23]

1 hour ago, Underachiever said:

I don't like to start threads, but I want to get some things off my chest and a thread with this title seems like a good place to rant.

I am an optimistic fan. I have predicted 90+ wins the last few seasons. I go to a good number of games, attend spring training, and am old enough to have been a Brewer fan since 1970. I dumped $3942 into NLDS and NLCS playoff tickets (Games 6 and 7 will be refunded, of course) because if there was going to be a World Series in Milwaukee, I was going to be there. 

These playoffs broke me.

Same old, same old. I was at both Arizona games in 2023, all three Mets games last year, and both home Dodger games this year. I cannot imagine enjoying next season as much because I will feel as if the lack of slugging in the playoffs will doom the Brewers once again. I was in a meeting in Chicago on the day of NLCS Game 4. When the meeting ended, it was 3-0 in the first. I abandoned my plan of driving to a bar to watch. I just drove home to Madison. 

Bites of the apple, run-prevention, and the AAA bullpen shuttle that I have come to respect and enjoy won't matter if the Brewers cannot score in the post-season. This model works in the regular season, but fails in October. If they run this back without significant offensive help, I will watch with detachment next year. No more woodpeckers, get me a raptor (not Brent Suter).

I can't even get as worked up about the Brewers' Annual Devastating Injury on the Eve of the Playoffs, 2025 edition. Losing Brandon Woodruff was not the reason the Brewers couldn't get past the Dodgers. Having LA score 2, 3, 5 and 5 runs should not be insurmountable, but it was this year. Milwaukee has scored 32 runs in their last 16 playoff games, dating back to 2019. They went to game 7 of the LCS in 2018 with Ryan Braun, Mike Moustakas, and Travis Shaw playing significant innings despite defense that was less than stellar. But they scored 38 runs in 10 playoff games that year. I'd be willing to take that tradeoff.

Maybe none of this matters. There is no single bat that can bridge the gap between LA and MKE. There probably aren't even two bats. But, damnit, I'll take a puncher's chance at this point.

I feel you. It feels like everything went right this season, (at least until the dodgers series), and we still couldn't finish the job. Just feels like we're never going to win the world series...

[AKCheesehead]

1 hour ago, Underachiever said:

I don't like to start threads, but I want to get some things off my chest and a thread with this title seems like a good place to rant.

I am an optimistic fan. I have predicted 90+ wins the last few seasons. I go to a good number of games, attend spring training, and am old enough to have been a Brewer fan since 1970. I dumped $3942 into NLDS and NLCS playoff tickets (Games 6 and 7 will be refunded, of course) because if there was going to be a World Series in Milwaukee, I was going to be there. 

These playoffs broke me.

Same old, same old. I was at both Arizona games in 2023, all three Mets games last year, and both home Dodger games this year. I cannot imagine enjoying next season as much because I will feel as if the lack of slugging in the playoffs will doom the Brewers once again. I was in a meeting in Chicago on the day of NLCS Game 4. When the meeting ended, it was 3-0 in the first. I abandoned my plan of driving to a bar to watch. I just drove home to Madison. 

Bites of the apple, run-prevention, and the AAA bullpen shuttle that I have come to respect and enjoy won't matter if the Brewers cannot score in the post-season. This model works in the regular season, but fails in October. If they run this back without significant offensive help, I will watch with detachment next year. No more woodpeckers, get me a raptor (not Brent Suter).

I can't even get as worked up about the Brewers' Annual Devastating Injury on the Eve of the Playoffs, 2025 edition. Losing Brandon Woodruff was not the reason the Brewers couldn't get past the Dodgers. Having LA score 2, 3, 5 and 5 runs should not be insurmountable, but it was this year. Milwaukee has scored 32 runs in their last 16 playoff games, dating back to 2019. They went to game 7 of the LCS in 2018 with Ryan Braun, Mike Moustakas, and Travis Shaw playing significant innings despite defense that was less than stellar. But they scored 38 runs in 10 playoff games that year. I'd be willing to take that tradeoff.

Maybe none of this matters. There is no single bat that can bridge the gap between LA and MKE. There probably aren't even two bats. But, damnit, I'll take a puncher's chance at this point.

Don't need to be better than LA (on paper, record, what have you) just need to outscore them in enough games to win a series in the postseason.  Baseball is silly enough where that can happen with the right circumstances, even if it didn't this year. In my opinion, being there always gives you a puncher's chance.  

[Turning2]

On 10/18/2025 at 9:13 AM, adambr2 said:

I am ok with either way, keeping him or trading him. I think people will be underwhelmed with a Peralta return.

The comp is probably the Burnes trade, which was Ortiz, DL Hall, and Blake Burke. Has had some moments where it looked good but it looks like a whole lot of meh right now.

Burke looks like the prize out of that. Hope it translates to the bigs when he arrives. DL Hall did provide some quality long, middle inning relief, and with so many other starting arms, I'd be fine if that was his role. 

[tmwiese55]

2 hours ago, Underachiever said:

I don't like to start threads, but I want to get some things off my chest and a thread with this title seems like a good place to rant.

I am an optimistic fan. I have predicted 90+ wins the last few seasons. I go to a good number of games, attend spring training, and am old enough to have been a Brewer fan since 1970. I dumped $3942 into NLDS and NLCS playoff tickets (Games 6 and 7 will be refunded, of course) because if there was going to be a World Series in Milwaukee, I was going to be there. 

These playoffs broke me.

Same old, same old. I was at both Arizona games in 2023, all three Mets games last year, and both home Dodger games this year. I cannot imagine enjoying next season as much because I will feel as if the lack of slugging in the playoffs will doom the Brewers once again. I was in a meeting in Chicago on the day of NLCS Game 4. When the meeting ended, it was 3-0 in the first. I abandoned my plan of driving to a bar to watch. I just drove home to Madison. 

Bites of the apple, run-prevention, and the AAA bullpen shuttle that I have come to respect and enjoy won't matter if the Brewers cannot score in the post-season. This model works in the regular season, but fails in October. If they run this back without significant offensive help, I will watch with detachment next year. No more woodpeckers, get me a raptor (not Brent Suter).

I can't even get as worked up about the Brewers' Annual Devastating Injury on the Eve of the Playoffs, 2025 edition. Losing Brandon Woodruff was not the reason the Brewers couldn't get past the Dodgers. Having LA score 2, 3, 5 and 5 runs should not be insurmountable, but it was this year. Milwaukee has scored 32 runs in their last 16 playoff games, dating back to 2019. They went to game 7 of the LCS in 2018 with Ryan Braun, Mike Moustakas, and Travis Shaw playing significant innings despite defense that was less than stellar. But they scored 38 runs in 10 playoff games that year. I'd be willing to take that tradeoff.

Maybe none of this matters. There is no single bat that can bridge the gap between LA and MKE. There probably aren't even two bats. But, damnit, I'll take a puncher's chance at this point.

Wow that 32 runs in last 16 games really hit me. It makes sense its that bad but I hadn't really thought about it or added it all up.    But it made me think, they scored 16 runs in the first two Cubs games this year. So, assuming your initial math is correct, that means they scored 16 runs in the other 14 games.  Brutal

[Underachiever]

12 minutes ago, tmwiese55 said:

Wow that 32 runs in last 16 games really hit me. It makes sense its that bad but I hadn't really thought about it or added it all up.    But it made me think, they scored 16 runs in the first two Cubs games this year. So, assuming your initial math is correct, that means they scored 16 runs in the other 14 games.  Brutal

Sorry! It's not at all! I completely disregarded the Cubs series! My bad. I will amend my original post.

See, I am bummed out.

[LouisEly]

3 hours ago, Underachiever said:

Maybe none of this matters. There is no single bat that can bridge the gap between LA and MKE.

That's the thing - they have to have a team of Ohtani's and Betts' because of the Dodgers ability to buy a staff.

The reason the Brewers had the best record in baseball has very little to do with the Brewers and everything to do with how many regular-season innings each of the following Dodgers' pitchers threw:

• Glasnow: 90
• Ohtani: 47
• Snell: 61
• Sheehan: 73
• Gonsolin: 36
• Kershaw: 112

Their best bet is to hope that the Dodgers pitchers get injured late in the season.