The Cardinals have locked up their rookie quarterback. The club announced today that they have signed JJ Wetherholt in an eight-year extension that runs until 2034. That means buying out what would have been his first three free years. They are reportedly worth $112.5MM excluding election seasons. The deal could be worth $132MM, which means there is $19.5MM in performance bonuses.
It is one of the largest guarantees in franchise history, trailing only $130MM Paul Goldschmidt extension in 2019 and $120MM Matt Holliday Free agent deal since 2010. As far as recent contract extensions around the league for players with less than a year of service time, this is coming slowly. Kevin McGonigle, Connor Griffin again Roman Anthony. McGonigle got $150MM, Griffin $140MM (over nine years) and Anthony $130MM.
Wetherholt, now 23, has clearly been a key part of the team’s future for a while now. He was seventh in the 2024 general election. He then moved on to the minors for the remainder of that year and 2025. He was one of the top ten prospects in baseball entering this year.
Throughout the offseason, it looked like the Cardinals were planning to break camp with the team in 2026. As part of their youth rebuilding campaign, they traded away several veteran players, including midfielders. Nolan Arenado again Brendan Donovan. That left the second base job open for Wetherholt and he took it. He performed well in the spring and the Cards broke camp with him.
Since then, he has done everything possible to establish himself as a big leaguer. He has stepped to the plate 395 times. His 15.4% strikeout rate and 9.6% walk rate are both better than the league average. He has hit 13 home runs. He has a .267/.362/411 batting line and a 118 wRC+, which is 18% better than the league average. He stole nine bases without being caught. He was credited with 12 Defensive Runs Saved and 16 Outs Above Average at second base. Both of those numbers are the highest in the majors among second basemen.
Add it all up and FanGraphs has already credited him with 3.6 wins over the regular season, with about half a season left to build on. He is the favorite to win the National League Rookie of the Year award.
As the Cards revolve around a new generation, Wetherholt is clearly a big part of it. The Cards confirmed that with this deal. It is the most important contract of the Chaim Bloom era to date. He just got a job at the start of last season and, as mentioned, spent most of the guys traded in the winter away. The largest free agent signing was a $12.5MM deal Dustin May. This is Bloom’s first signing since taking the job.
These deals have become all the rage in MLB recently. As shown in MLBTR’s Contract Tracker, there have been 16 extensions for minor leaguers from 2006 to 2021. This is the 17th time in the last five years. Teams are now more comfortable betting on their top prospects, even if they have limited or sometimes no major league experience. In the case of the Cards and Wetherholt, the club allowed him to get about half a season under his belt before crossing the finish line with a deal. Nevertheless, he should be a mainstay of the club for the next ten years.
For Wetherholt personally, he prefers more certainty by trying to maximize future returns. He was on track to reach free agency before his age-29 season. If he continues to put up big numbers between now and then, he could be in line for a big contract by then. The deal will advance him to free agency by three years, so he will now hit the open market before his age-32 season. He may be in line for a good deal after this extension but position players generally have less salary power in their early 3 years compared to their 20’s.
The trade-off, of course, is that you lock in a big payday now and cut off potential downside. There are no guarantees in this game and it is possible that his production drops or a significant injury derails his career. With this deal, he will have life-changing money in the bank regardless of how he performs over the next few seasons.
The Cardinals will be hoping this is just the start of a great season for the franchise. Despite their new look, they are playing very well this year. They are 48-44 and just three games out of the playoffs. Small and manageable players like Wetherholt, Jordan Walker, Masyn Winn again Alec Burleson they were part of that success. The prospects are the same Rainiel Rodriguez, Liam Doyle, Jurrangelo Cijntje and others are on the way. The Cards are betting there is a bright future with Wetherholt in their midst.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan first reported that the two sides had agreed to a long-term deal. Jon Heyman of The New York Post first reported the guarantee and the length of eight years, and the big number. Photo courtesy of Jeff Curry, William Purnell, Imagn Images
