Cardinals, JJ Wetherholt Extension Immediately Looks Like a Steal

The St. Louis Cardinals are going to have young second baseman JJ Wetherholt manning second base for a long time to come.

On Friday, ESPN's Jeff Passan reported that the Cardinals and Wetherholt were in agreement on a nine-figure, long-term contract extension. Jon Heyman of The New York Post followed up and reported the contract details and noted that it's an eight-year extension worth $112.5 million with a chance to go all the way up to $132 million.

This already looks great. But there is another variable that Heyman mentioned that arguably makes it even better. There are no options.

"Breaking: Star rookie 2B JJ Wetherholt and St. Louis Cardinals in agreement on 8-year, $112.5m deal. No options," Heyman wrote on X.

The Cardinals Got An Excellent Deal Done

Jul 6, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman JJ Wetherholt (26) forces out Milwaukee Brewers left fielder Jackson Chourio (11) (not pictured) at second base in the sixth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Puetz-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The price tag of the deal also makes it look like a steal. Wetherholt is playing at an All-Star level and looks like a long-term veteran. The $112.5 million is obviously a lot of money, but it's lower than guys like Kevin McGonigle, who signed an 8-year, $150 million contract extension with the Detroit Tigers, and Konnor Griffin, who got a nine-year, $140 million extension. He also got less than Roman Anthony of the Boston Red Sox, who got an eight-year, $130 million extension. Wetherholt is right up with those guys from a talent perspective, but the Cardinals got a discount.

Now, of course, if there were team options, that would be good. But there are also no player options as well. You know what you're getting and now the Cardinals are guaranteed to have Wetherholt for eight years, at the very least, before free agency. The Cardinals did a great job on this deal.

It just shows how highly the Cardinals view Wetherholt as well. This is the largest pre-arbitration extension given out by the Cardinals since Albert Pujols got a seven-year, $100 million deal back in 2004, per The Athletic's Katie Woo.

"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," Woo wrote.

This is a big day in the history of the Cardinals. We're talking about one of the most historic franchises in the league. The only team in Major League Baseball with more World Series wins than the Cardinals (11) is the New York Yankees (27). The fact that this team, who has notably not spent very heavily, is opening up the checkbook for Wetherholt is yet another sign of how special he is.

Wetherholt entered the 2026 season with sky-high expectations. Somehow, he has surpassed them all. He was the No. 7 overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft and he was quickly talked about as someone who could end up being a savior and cornerstone piece for this franchise.

Over the last three years, there has been a lot of negative in St. Louis, much more than expected. The Cardinals have lost a lot and haven't been a contender since 2022. The Cardinals have had to go back to the drawing board to build out this franchise and they have their guy to build the team around. There's plenty of goodwill around the team right now. St. Louis did the right thing.

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