In the offseason, the youthful St. Louis Cardinals hope to grow even younger. The Cardinals are looking to the future with veterans like Miles Mikolas leaving and trade candidates Nolan Arenado, Sonny Gray, and even Willson Contreras.
Top prospect JJ Wetherholt is one of the primary focus points of St. Louis’ future. He may soon be called up to the Major Leagues after dominating at Triple-A.
His period of control lasts for six years after he is called up. Josh Jacobs, a blogger for Redbird Rants, is pushing the Cardinals to sign Wetherholt to a long-term contract before he has even played a game in the Major Leagues in order to beat out his free agency.
Cardinals Should Sign Wetherholt to a Huge Contract
There is a lot of risk involved in signing a player who hasn’t established himself in the Major Leagues, but there is also a lot of profit. However, Jacobs believes that if he were in charge, he would support such a choice.
“Extending a prospect who has never even played a game at the Major League level is quite the risk,” says Jacobs, “but if I were the St. Louis Cardinals, I would be exploring that right now with JJ Wetherholt.”
Given that Wetherholt hasn’t yet made contact with the Majors, it’s a very audacious move. In that case, the huge contract extension would be a total bust and may seriously hurt the organization if he suffers in the Majors.
However, there are several benefits as well. Roman Anthony and Corbin Carroll both signed big-league contracts early in the 2025 season. But both had already played in the major leagues.
The Cardinals should make such a contract, Jacobs thinks, for more than $100 million, a couple years before his free agency window opens. A $100 million deal may be extremely fair for St. Louis if he keeps hitting as effectively as he has at Triple-A.
The Cardinals’ best prospect, Wetherholt, is hitting.310 in 26 games at Triple-A Memphis, with a.403 on-base percentage, a.670 slugging percentage, and an impressive 1.073 OPS.
He has nine home runs, seven doubles, one triple, 17 RBIs, 15 walks, 19 strikeouts, 31 hits, and 25 runs scored in 100 at-bats. He has produced some very outstanding attacking work.
After some adjustments are made in the summer under new baseball operations president Chaim Bloom, he will either be called up to play in the Major Leagues for the remainder of 2025 or, most likely, suit up for St. Louis in 2026.
The reason for such a crazy expansion for Wetherholt could be the shift in front office leadership. Offering Wetherholt such a contract would allow Bloom to establish his legacy inside the organization. Nevertheless, ownership would need to sign on even if he were interested.
Wetherholt has excelled at Triple-A, but he might not adjust to Major League pitching since it’s a different animal. However, the Cardinals should have a long-term agreement in the works if he does.
Given his performance at Triple-A, it’s difficult to argue against Jacobs’ request that the Cardinals make this choice before he has played in the Major Leagues. Even while it carries a significant risk, if it works out, it would be a big coup for the Cardinals at a period of organizational change.
