3 Players Cardinals Should Sign to Contract Extensions Before It's Too Late

Over the last few days, the Milwaukee Brewers and Seattle Mariners have made big moves to sign their top prospects and young players to massive contracts.

The Brewers inked Cooper Pratt to a long-term deal before he ever made it to the big leagues. The Mariners recently gave Colt Emerson nearly $100 million over eight years.

The St. Louis Cardinals should be willing to take a page out of their books. The Cardinals could afford to ink some of their young stars to big contracts, especially before they begin heating up this year.

Who should the Caridnals lock down on long term deals?

SS Masyn Winn

Feb 16, 2026; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn (0) fields a ground ball during spring training workouts at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images | Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images

Masyn Winn is one of the best young shortstops in the game and he's reached this point with mediocre production at the plate. In the field, he's one of the best players in the game. The Cardinals need to find a big contract extension with him before he begins finding his groove at the plate, which would drive his value up quite a bit. St. Louis has depth in the middle infield for the future, but if it could lock down Winn, it wouldn't have to worry about adding a shortstop for the entire length of his contract.

C/DH Iván Herrera

Feb 16, 2026; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals catcher Ivan Herrera (48) during spring training workouts at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images | Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images

Iván Herrera is the best hitter on the Cardinals roster and is likely only getting better as time goes on. Herrera is a slugger with plus power and good plate discipline. His ability to catch makes him very valuable, but the Cardinals will likely use him as the designated hitter more often than anything going forward. Either way, his bat is very valuable. The Cardinals could afford to give him a big deal over six or seven years to avoid losing him when his deal runs out.

2B JJ Wetherholt

Mar 29, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman JJ Wetherholt (26) throws out Tampa Bay Rays left fielder Chandler Simpson (not pictured) during the seventh inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

This kind of list is designed for JJ Wetherholt. The same way the Mariners signed Emerson to a big deal, the Cardinals need to sign Wetherholt to one. In fact, they could even offer a deal right around the same value. At this point in their respective careers, Wetherholt and Emerson are very similar. Cardinals should be willing to bet on his future by signing him to a massive deal for the next eight to 10 seasons. If Wetherholt's early production is indicative of his future with St. Louis, this would be the perfect idea.