JJ Wetherholt Signs Massive Extension, Sets MLB Record for WVU Alum

The legend of JJ Wetherholt continues to grow.

JJ Wetherholt reacts to his walk-off hit against the Tampa Bay Rays. Jeff Curry - Imagn Images | Jeff Curry - Imagn Images

West Virginia baseball is in the midst of the program’s golden age. The program reached its first College World Series in program history after a historic 2025 season.

Per ESPN’s Jeff Passan, former Mountaineers standout infielder JJ Wetherholt and the St. Louis Cardinals are in agreement on a massive extension to keep him as a member of the Cardinals for the foreseeable future.

BREAKING: Rookie standout JJ Wetherholt and the St. Louis Cardinals are in agreement on a long-term contract extension that will buy out multiple years of free agency, sources tell ESPN. Wetherholt, 23, has been tremendous and is the latest rookie to land a nine-figure contract.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 10, 2026

According to Katie Woo of The Athletic, it is an eight-year extension worth 112.5 million. The deal includes no player options and has performance-based escalators that can max the contract out at 132 million. Per Woo, the deal is the largest pre-arbitration contract that the Cardinals have handed out to a player since Albert Pujols in 2004. It’s safe to say that the Cardinals see Wetherholt as a key part of their future. This gives him the richest contract by a former Mountaineer in the MLB. Jedd Gyorko was the previous holder of that title and had career earnings of $41.4M.

The deal will serve as the Cardinals’ largest contract extension for a pre-arbitration player since Albert Pujols’ seven-year, $100 million deal in 2004. There are no options included and with escalators can max out at $132 million.

First on the deal: @JeffPassan https://t.co/eRE8Jgxvvj

— Katie Woo (@katiejwoo) July 10, 2026

It’s hard to blame the Cardinals for thinking this way, as Wetherholt is slashing .267/.362/.411 with 13 home runs and 36 RBI’s through the first 87 games of his major league career. The rookie second baseman became the first Cardinals player to hit leadoff in the season opener in nearly a century, and Wetherholt has certainly delivered with all of the expectations on him.

The former Mountaineers standout was selected 7th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft and quickly rose through the minor leagues as a quality defender with serious offensive ability. Wetherholt became a Mountaineer baseball legend in 2023 after leading all of college baseball in batting average. An injury-riddled 2024 season kept Wetherholt from truly showcasing his abilities to professional scouts during his final collegiate season, but it clearly isn’t holding him back.

Wetherholt is set to do something no Mountaineer baseball player has ever done

The second baseman has not only been playing well enough to earn a contract extension worth well over 100 million dollars, but he has been playing well enough to be the current favorite to win the National League Rookie of the Year award. The term “favorite” may be putting it lightly, as Wetherholt is the current runaway favorite to win the award in many major sports books.

Wetherholt would become the first West Virginia player to win an MLB Rookie of the Year award. The rookie sensation was recruited to WVU baseball by current head coach Steve Sabins during his time as recruiting coordinator. Wetherholt and Sabins are both key pieces in changing WVU baseball forever. While tearing it up in the MLB, Wetherholt’s impact on WVU baseball will still be felt for years to come.