Milwaukee Brewers fans learned the fate of two of their starting pitchers on Monday.
The team announced that it had picked up Freddy Peralta’s $8 million contract option, keeping the ace under contract for the 2026 campaign. He’ll then be a free agent in 2027 if he doesn’t have a new deal before then.
While the Brewers secured another season of Peralta, starting pitcher Brandon Woodruff declined his $20 million mutual option for a $10 million buyout. The two-time All-Star will now be a free agent.
Woodruff went 7-2 with a 3.20 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP in 12 starts last season.
It’s not much of a surprise to see the Brewers exercise his contract option given the season he just had. The 29-year-old had the seventh-best ERA (2.70), the ninth-most strikeouts (204) and the 13th-best WHIP in the majors (1.08). He also had the fourth-best record among pitchers at 17-6.
The career year from Peralta helped lead Milwaukee to a franchise-best 97-65, which won them their third consecutive NL Central title. The Brewers also reached the NLCS for the first time since 2018.
Peralta wasn’t quite as dominant in the postseason, going 1-2 with a 4.70 ERA and 1.17 WHIP in three starts.
While Milwaukee picked up Peralta’s contract option, that doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll play for the Brewers in 2026. After the season, The Athletic’s Andy McCullough reported that the Brewers were expected to explore a trade for Peralta.
Playing on just an $8 million contract this year makes Peralta an enticing trade piece, but Milwaukee can also keep him around as an affordable ace in the rotation.