Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Brewers fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
Welcome back to another edition of our Brewers Reacts Surveys, and this week, we’re asking fans if they think it’s time for veteran right-hander Brandon Woodruff to retire.
Woodruff, 33, has spent nine seasons in the majors, all with the Brewers, and he’s pitched to a solid career stat line with a 55-30 record, 3.10 ERA, 3.19 FIP, and 918 strikeouts over 790 1/3 innings. He hasn’t been able to stay healthy, though, with an injury on the Fourth of July in Phoenix the latest in a long string of frustrating setbacks.
While he has a solid 2.98 ERA and 3.20 FIP this year, he’s pitched just 45 1/3 innings over his nine starts, and he hasn’t exceeded 70 innings since the 2022 season. In fact, since the beginning of 2023, he’s pitched just 177 innings, and while he has a 2.80 ERA in that period, that’s simply not sustainable for a team like the Brewers, as they’re paying him $22 million, plus $10 million from his opt-out of a mutual deal last offseason.
While there’s no doubt Woodruff provides value as a veteran in the clubhouse and is a fantastic pitcher when healthy, that leaves the question: Is it time for him to retire? He’s spent more days on the IL with a variety of arm injuries than he has healthy, and it seems like a perfect fit for him to find a home with Milwaukee’s coaching staff in some form or another.
I know nobody wants him to retire, but what’s the right call here? Weigh in below and stay tuned for results later this week!