Alec Burleson Extension Report Gives Cardinals Reason to Act Fast

The whole point of having an elite farm system is giving a club plenty of options to either trade, or see who can turn into regular contributors in the big leagues. If you can find a few homegrown stars along the way, that's the dream scenario. That's what the St. Louis Cardinals have done with Alec Burleson.

Burleson is a 27-year-old former second-round pick who worked his way up through the Cardinals' farm system and debuted back in 2022. Since breaking into the big leagues, Burleson has transitioned from being a bench guy, to a utility guy playing all over the field, and now is the team's full-time first baseman and has picked up the mantle well after Willson Contreras and Paul Goldschmidt filled the spot over the last few years. Burleson is a star in his own right. He entered the day on Thursday leading the league 112 RBIs and added another by bashing his 24th homer of the season off Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes. He has two more seasons of control left, but the Cardinals should be thinking extension.

Again, the whole point of having a strong farm system is finding guys like Burleson. The Cardinals found him. And he told Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he's open to a long-term extension as well.

The Cardinals Need To Act Fast

Sep 23, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Alec Burleson (left) and second baseman JJ Wetherholt (26) talk in the on-deck circle before batting against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"I’m open to it, and I’ll be all ears if they want to come to me and try and see what happens,” Burleson told Goold. “I love St. Louis. The family loves St. Louis. I like what is going on here as far as where this is headed, and I think we’ve got an opportunity to do a lot of fun things in the near future."

The Cardinals absolutely should oblige. Burleson won a Silver Slugger Award last year and could do the same this year at first base. Plus, he's been good enough defensively to at least be in the mix for a Gold Glove Award this year. There are few better two-way first basemen in baseball at this point.

Plus, on a different note, he has crushed Skenes throughout his career to this point. After he hit his 24th homer of the season, his slash line vs. Skenes improved to .429/.455/.619.

Alec Burleson’s updated stats against Paul Skenes:

.429/.455/.619 (1.074 OPS)

The MLB RBI leader (113) also increases his cushion #STLCards pic.twitter.com/x4fLHsM0g2
— STL Sports Central (@STLSprtsCntrl) September 24, 2026

How ridiculous is that? That's a guy you want on your team. The Cardinals are going to be facing Skenes for years to come. You want someone on your side who is going to shine against the best. Burleson is that guy.

The Cardinals have a star in Burleson. Similar to how St. Louis paid up to lock up JJ Wetherholt in the long term, it should do the same with Burleson.

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