The Cardinals’ new JJ Wetherholt extension does more than lock up a young star. It also lays out, in plain numbers, how much room St. Louis will have to maneuver over the next several seasons.
Wetherholt agreed to an eight-year, $112.5 million deal that keeps the Cardinals’ second baseman in St. Louis for the long haul, and the official structure is the kind of backloaded arrangement teams often use with players early in their careers.
According to The Associated Press, Wetherholt will earn $2.5 million in 2027, $4 million in 2028, $7.5 million in 2029, $12.5 million in 20230, $17 million in 2031, $20 million in 2032, $22 million in 2033, and $25 million in 2034. The contract carries an average annual value of $14,062,500.
Jon Becker of FanGraphs also laid out the full package on RosterResource, including incentive details. Wetherholt’s deal includes a $2,000,000 kicker if he is traded, along with $5,000,000 salary bumps if he wins Most Valuable Player in 2032, 2033, or 2034.
For the Cardinals, the bigger story may be what this means for the rest of the payroll. Beyond Wetherholt, there is not another Cardinal in the organization signed to a guaranteed deal beyond this season, aside from $13 million owed between Nolan Arenado and Willson Contreras, plus up to $500,000 buyouts for Dustin May and Ramon Urias if their options are declined.
That leaves St. Louis with a lot of financial breathing room, and Wetherholt’s deal finally gives the club some clarity as it maps out what comes next.
During the extension press conference, Cardinals president Bill DeWitt III described the move as the first of more to come, signaling that the organization wants to extend more players from its core in the months or years ahead. Jordan Walker, Ivan Herrera, and Alec Burleson stand out as possible extension candidates, and Rainiel Rodriguez is another name that fits into that conversation.
The Cardinals used to operate on a much bigger scale. Before the payroll cuts of the last two seasons, they were regularly spending north of $150 million, and in 2023 they were even close to $200 million before choosing to sell at the deadline. If they want to get back into that neighborhood when they’re ready to contend again, knowing exactly how much money is tied up is a major part of the plan.
Right now, Wetherholt’s extension leaves the Cardinals with just $4 million committed for 2028 and $8 million for 2029, not counting player benefits, arbitration players, or league minimum contracts. Any new deals for Walker, Burleson, or Herrera would likely carry higher average annual values because they’re closer to free agency, but St. Louis still appears to have plenty of flexibility to extend talent, swing trades, or make real runs in free agency.
The timing matters, too. By getting this deal done now, the Cardinals avoid having to pay market value when Wetherholt would have reached his first three free-agent seasons.
He’s on track to become an expensive player, but St. Louis will “only” be on the hook for an average salary of $22.3 million in those three years.
The club also gets a guaranteed number for his arbitration seasons from 2029-2031, which lines up with the stretch Chaim Bloom expects to be the window when this team can become a true, perennial World Series contender.
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