MLB Rumors: Mets miss out on rotation sleeper thanks to Brewers return

The Milwaukee Brewers re-signed starting pitcher Brandon Woodruff on Monday morning. Woodruff, who won't be ready to pitch until midseason at best thanks to surgery he underwent in October, was one of the best buy-low options on the starting pitching market.

When healthy, Woodruff has proven he can be one of the top starters in baseball. With Milwaukee on a multiyear deal, Woodruff will hope to live up to those expectations once again post-surgery. There are some concerns whether or not Woodruff will be the same pitcher when he recovers from surgery, as MLB.com's Manny Randhawa noted:

"Woodruff has been remarkably consistent since making his MLB debut in 2017. He has a career 28.9 percent strikeout rate and a walk rate of just 6.5 percent. The hard-hit rate against him has typically hovered around 30 percent, which is excellent, although that figure was 41.6 percent in 11 starts last season."

MLB Rumors: Mets had interest in Brandon Woodruff earlier this offseason

The Mets had some reported interest in Woodruff earlier this offseason. New York lost two top-tier aces at the trade deadline in Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander. However, with the Mets looking to contend in 2025, Woodruff made a lot of sense as a sign-and-stash starting pitching option who fit New York's timeline better than, say, a high-priced Jordan Montgomery or Blake Snell.

A connection to new Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns also made Woodruff an intriguing fit, but one that never materialized.

Both the Mets and Brewers have a similar narrative, albeit in totally different markets. The Mets can (and likely will) spend big with Steve Cohen when the time comes next winter. The Brewers just traded Corbin Burnes to the Orioles but remain competitive, signing Rhys Hoskins and now Woodruff but avoiding a long contract dispute with their ace.