The Brewers’ choice to not tender two-time all-star Brandon Woodruff was the most stunning of all the non-tender decisions made yesterday, including the Los Angeles Angels’ decision to not tender Jose Marte.
When it became apparent that the right-hander would miss the most of the 2024 season, if not the entire one, owing to injury, the Brewers were forced to respond to this query. Even still, Milwaukee’s inability to either keep him around and hope he could return or deal him for something of worth was shocking.
The Brewers decided not to tender Woodruff, leaving him open to signing with any team. While it’s conceivable that Woodruff returns to Milwaukee, it seems more probable that he would sign with another team in an effort to recover and increase his worth.
Although signing Brandon Woodruff would be risky, the Los Angeles Angels can’t pass up the opportunity to reap the benefits.
The Angels are a team in dire need of a significant boost to their rotation. Although they believed they had a winning staff going into the 2023 season, it turned out to be mediocre. That also involved Shohei Ohtani.
The Angels will still need to enhance their rotation in 2024 if they hope to contend, whether Ohtani stays or leaves. Woodruff doesn’t offer the Angels anything, but he does provide them a reliable arm in 2025.
Presumably, Woodruff would sign a two-year contract. I
t’s unclear to me if the second year is a club option or a given, but no team will want to sign Woodruff just to have him rehab on their pay for a year and then perhaps go. In 2024, this type of transaction is a wash, but in 2025, it may provide the Angels an inexpensive frontline starter.
There’s no denying the risk. Woodruff has endured injuries in the past besides this one. He really only made 11 starts for Milwaukee during the previous campaign. Throughout his seven-year career, he has only made thirty starts in one season. Though there are drawbacks, the benefits are enormous.
Woodruff is an all-star when he plays well. He’s really been on two all-star teams. In the NL Cy Young voting, he came in fifth place during the one season he made thirty starts with the Brewers. Despite throwing the majority of his games at hitter-friendly American Family Field, he has a 3.10 lifetime ERA.
Woodruff can sign a two-year contract with the Angels, with the first year being extremely inexpensive because he won’t throw. With Woodruff waiting in the wings until 2025, this allows the Angels to still sign a big-time arm.
With Woodruff, the Angels can add a potential front-line starter at a very low cost. Woodruff may struggle or suffer an injury again, of course, but those risks shouldn’t exceed his potential. If Arte Moreno refuses to rebuild, now is the moment for him to really go all in. It won’t harm a franchise the way Anthony Rendon’s contract has, even if it doesn’t work.
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