A Milwaukee Brewers franchise icon is out there for the taking right now with Brandon Woodruff available in the open market after 13 years with the organization.

Woodruff was drafted by the Brewers in the 11th round of the 2014 Major League Baseball Draft and has been a member of the organization ever since. He's played in nine big league seasons and he finally earned the first World Series ring of his career this fall. Now, he's available in free agency and realistically, any team could sign him. But the Brewers should be the club that gets a deal across the finish line. Woodruff has injury question marks around him, but he can still get guys out when he is on the mound.

The Brewers are built to go on another run next year and Woodruff would help. But will he be back? MLB.com's Adam McCalvy gave the fanbase some hope on Saturday by calling Woodruff the Brewers' "most likely" candidate to return in free agency, but acknowledged that there is risk.

"Could any of the others return? Woodruff would be the most likely candidate if the sides can agree on terms for a player who means so much to the franchise, but he carries significant injury risk," McCalvy wrote.

The Brewers Should Bring Brandon Woodruff Back

While Woodruff was healthy enough to pitch in the World Series, there's absolutely an injury risk when it comes to the 33-year-old. He pitched in 21 regular season games over the last two seasons after missing the entire 2024 campaign. When healthy, he was good. He had a 3.20 ERA in 12 starts in 2025 and a 2.98 ERA in nine starts in 2026. But, again, he hasn't been able to stay on the hill.

He's absolutely worth bringing back, but the price tag is the most important variable here. Even coming off a World Series win, the Brewers aren't going to completely throw how they do business out the window. The Brewers aren't going to spend like the Los Angeles Dodgers or the New York Mets, or other high-spending organizations. It's just not how Milwaukee does business, and clearly it has worked for them.

We made the case for a deal in the range of two years with an average annual value of $10 million per year as the ceiling of what Milwaukee should offer. Even that could potentially be viewed as too high, but he is a franchise cornerstone and a leader in the clubhouse. There is value there that has to be baked into a deal.

The fact that McCalvy called him the "most likely" free agent to return for the Brewers is a positive update. But nothing has been signed yet. Until pen is put to paper, anything can happen.