Cardinals, JJ Wetherholt Reportedly Agree to Landmark Nine-Figure Extension

The St. Louis Cardinals have a star on their hands in rookie second baseman JJ Wetherholt and the front office clearly knows it.

Early in the campaign, there were rumors out there about the possibility of the Cardinals signing Wetherholt to an extension. The noise picked up steam as other young guys across the league, like Konnor Griffin, Cooper Pratt, Luis Lara, and Kevin McGonigle, among others, started getting extensions left and right.

On Friday, it was finally Wetherholt's turn. ESPN's Jeff Passan reported that the Cardinals and the 23-year-old infielder are in agreement on a long-term deal that will buy out "multiple" years of free agency and is in the range of nine-figures.

"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."

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

Jon Heyman of The New York Post reported that Wetherholt's extension is for eight years and $112.5 million. On top of this, it can max out at $132 million.

What A Year For JJ Wetherholt

Jul 6, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman JJ Wetherholt (26) takes his position against the Milwaukee Brewers in the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Puetz-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"Breaking: Star rookie 2B JJ Wetherholt and St. Louis Cardinals in agreement on 8-year, $112.5 [million] deal. No options," Heyman wrote. "Deal can max out at $132 [million]."

Deal can max out at $132m https://t.co/BAdg5QuYBF
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) July 10, 2026

It's not shocking that the Cardinals wanted to get in and extend their young star this early. Wetherholt has played in 87 games so far this season as a rookie and has looked like a 10-year veteran. From Opening Day when he launched his first career big league homer to now, he has just been incredible.

JJ WETHERHOLT 😤

He leaves the yard in his Major League debut! pic.twitter.com/4NNDZYirt6
— MLB (@MLB) March 26, 2026

So far this season, Wetherholt is slashing .267/.362/.411 with a .773 OPS, 13 homers, 36 RBIs, nine stolen bases, 38 walks, 10 doubles, and 57 runs scored. He has only struck out 61 times as well this season in 87 games, which is massively important at the top of the order. He gets on base and sets the tone. He was snubbed from the All-Star Game, to say the least. His time will come.

On top of this, he has been among the best overall defensive players in baseball this season. Right now, he has racked up 16 outs above average. That's ridiculous and has him at the top of the MLB leaderboard with the likes of guys, including Bobby Witt Jr., Pete Crow-Armstrong, and Ceddanne Rafaela, among others.

Also, Wetherholt is tied for 12th in all of baseball with 3.9 wins above replacement. Again, this is a rookie we're talking about who is just 23 years old. He is just going to get better and he will be donning a Cardinals uniform for a very long time.

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