There are reports that the St. Louis Cardinals have reached out to JJ Wetherholt to discuss what it would take to get an extension done. Is that a great idea or is this much too soon and what would that look like if it happened?
It was a serendipitous moment when I asked the question on The Feed two days ago and then MLB Trade Rumors confirmed that extension talks between the St. Louis Cardinals and JJ Wetherholt were really happening. That initial report was based on an article from Jon Heyman.
A majority of commenters were in favor of the Cardinals getting an extension done with JJ, but not everyone was on board with “are you kidding me?” mentioning that Wetherholt has only played a few games. Before I dive into the pros and cons of the St. Louis Cardinals locking down JJ into a long-term deal, let’s look at some comparable pre or early MLB debut contracts.
Jackson Churio signed an eight-year, $82 million contract extension with the Milwaukee Brewers in December 2023 before playing even one MLB game.
Colt Emerson signed an eight-year, $95 million dollar contract extension with the Seattle Mariners including a club option for a ninth year before his MLB debut.
Roman Anthony signed an 8-year, $130 million contract extension with the Boston Red Sox with less than 200 MLB at-bats.
Kristian Campbell inked an eight-year, $60 million contract extension with the Boston Red Sox in April of last year that includes two option years less than a week into his MLB career.
A report today from MLB Trade Rumors says that Konnor Griffin and the Pittsburgh Pirates are working on a 9-year contract somewhere in the neighborhood of $140 million dollars.
I’d like to add one more past contract into this discussion from St. Louis Cardinals history. It was 2004 when Albert Pujols signed a 7-year $100 million dollar contract just prior to his arbitration hearing with the team. Allowing for inflation, Albert’s contract today would equal around $200 million dollars if had happened in 2026. At the time, that was the largest contract ever given to a Major League player with 3-years of experience or less. Let me be clear that I’m not saying JJ Wetherholt is the next Albert Pujols. No one is the next Albert Pujols, but that’s the closest contract I can find that the Cardinals signed with such a young player.
If the Cardinals do work out an extension with JJ Wetherholt, what should that look like?
JJ will turn 24 years old in September. He’s currently under team control through 2031. Many believe that for Wetherholt to consider an extension, the Cardinals would need to be willing to invest in him with an 8 or maybe even a 9-year deal. There’s a very valid argument that Wetherholt wouldn’t want to hit free agency when he’s 32 or 33. A shorter term deal with a higher annual value could be the solution. The longest contract I can remember the St. Louis Cardinals offering is the 7-year, $120 million dollar deal signed with Matt Holliday (no relation, unfortunately) in 2010. If you’re among the many that think a JJ Wetherholt extension needs to get done, what dollar amount would you commit to that contract? I’d have to believe that the $140 million reportedly included in the Konnor Griffin extension being discussed with the Pirates would have to be close.
One of my favorite points brought up in The Feed conversation was from my colleague, Greg who said “Is this smaller market teams viewing this as a regular pathway to compete with the big boys?” I think that is a very compelling argument about how smaller market teams like the Cardinals and Pirates can remain competitive by recognizing great talent at an early age and being willing to take the risk.
Let’s talk about that “risk”. While there is understandable excitement about JJ Wetherholt’s potential and the great impression he’s made in the first half-dozen games this year, he also has a history of significant hamstring injuries. There’s no way to know if he’ll be injury-prone in the majors. Major league pitching has a way of finding holes in swings. Will JJ make the correct adjustments when/if that happens?
I’m willing to go all-in and say that I’d sign JJ Wetherholt to a long-term extension right now if the Cardinals can afford what he and his team would ask for. He’s already proving to be a very smart and aggressive baserunner and he’s a versatile player who can play many positions well. When asked about JJ Wetherholt being ready for big moments, Oli Marmol said “he doesn’t scare” and that’s another reason why I’m convinced he needs to be the first player we lock down for the new Cardinals core. His personality in the clubhouse is also getting rave reviews from teammates. If I were President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom and the DeWitt family, I’d get out the checkbook and start production on as many JJ Wetherholt St. Louis Cardinals jerseys as the warehouse can hold. What say you?
