The Milwaukee Brewers are a very calculated team, which means that their actions come with full awareness of the situation, including any consequences. Recently, it was reported that they agreed to bring free agent pitcher Brandon Woodruff back on a two-year contract, despite the fact that he may not be able to pitch in 2024 due to shoulder surgery this off-season.
Why was Brandon Woodruff a free agent?
Despite previously being under team control until the 2024 season, the Brewers choose to not tender Woodruff at the November deadline. This meant that they were not going to guarantee him a contract in 2024, and instead of paying him the anticipated $11.6 million in arbitration, he was removed from the 40-man roster and became a free agent. There was a lot of conjecture at the time that the Brew Crew and Woodruff were talking about signing a two-year contract, but nothing came of it.
How does re-signing Brandon Woodruff now impact the 40-man roster?
At the time of the Woodruff signing, the 40-man roster was full. Even if 60-day disabled lists are again an option (temporarily removing a player from the 40-man roster), a player must have an open roster place available in order to formally sign with a baseball club. This means that once the Woodruff signing is formally announced by the team, a corresponding roster move will occur.
Would the Milwaukee Brewers still have room for Gary Sanchez after the Brandon Woodruff signing?
Once the Brewers sign Woodruff and place him on the 60-day injured list, the 40-man roster will be reduced to 39. In theory, this opens up place for catcher/designated hitter Gary Sanchez. He supposedly joined with Milwaukee a few weeks ago, but has yet to be seen at camp. It’s unclear what happened to Sanchez, but possibly Matt Arnold waited for Woodruff to sign before publicizing the Sanchez agreement.
