The St. Louis Cardinals and star rookie JJ Wetherholt have come to terms on a new 8 year, $112.5M contract extension on Friday the team announced. The deal reportedly does not feature any options, and is one of the largest guarantees in franchise history.
Originally taken in the first round of the 2024 MLB Player Draft, Wetherholt has been one of the fastest rising prospects in all of baseball. The new pact will come into effect for the 2027 season and keep him tied to the franchise through 2034. If all performance bonuses are met, the contract could be worth as much as $132M.
By agreeing to the extension, St. Louis effectively buys out 3 years worth of free agency for Wetherholt who will now become a free agent at the age of 32.
Currently hitting .267/.362/.411 with 13 home runs, 36 RBIs and 57 runs scored, the left handed bat is the current favourite to take home NL Rookie of the Year honours.
In a bit of a quirk, Wetherholt is actually the only player currently under contract with the Cardinals for the 2027 season. Prior to the deal, St. Louis had all of $13M on the books for next year, and that was in the form of cash being sent to Boston as part of the Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras trades.
Jordan Walker figures to be the next member of the team to begin negotiations as the 24 year old is hitting .294 with 22 home runs and 73 RBIs on the year. That RBI total ranks first across baseball. Walker is currently arbitration eligible the next two seasons, though St. Louis has expressed a desire to explore the framework of a long term deal.
The Cardinals are 48-44 on the season which is good for 3rd in the ultra competitive NL Central. They currently sits 3.5 games back of the 2nd place Cubs and 10.5 games back of the division leading Brewers. St. Louis is set to kick off a 3 game series against the Atlanta Braves Friday night at 8:15pm ET.
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