Sep 5, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of the hat and glove of St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Nolan Gorman (not pictured) before a game against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Cardinals Pushed To Sign Top Prospect To Franchise-Altering New Deal

Originally posted on St. Louis Cardinals on SI
By Zach Pressnell | Last updated Aug 18, 2025 10:00 AM ET

The St. Louis Cardinals seemingly waved the white flag on the season at the trade deadline, but for a few weeks, the players on the roster hadn't given up. With the New York Mets and Cincinnati Reds running in place, the Cardinals began to close the gap for the final wild card spot in the National League before being swept by the New York Yankees.

With St. Louis likely to miss the postseason, it's safe to begin looking toward next year. This means the imminent call-up of one of the best prospects in baseball, JJ Wetherholt.

Josh Jacobs of Redbird Rants recently urged the Cardinals to sign Wetherholt to a massive contract extension, even going as far as to compare Wetherholt to Arizona Diamondbacks star Corbin Carroll.

JJ Wetherholt is the Cardinals' perfect contract extension candidate

Brett Davis-Imagn Images

"For Arizona, they locked in Carroll on big numbers long-term, but dollar figures that he would've been able to beat in arbitration and in free agency if he performed like he has so far," Jacobs wrote. "Carroll got his guaranteed dollars, and Arizona is now saving a fair bit of money long-term and doesn't have to worry about potentially losing Carroll until three years after he was set to hit free agency. A very similar framework seems like a fair breakdown for Wetherholt and the Cardinals, and I would 100% be looking to lock him in if he's interested.

"With real uncertainty surrounding the next CBA negotiations, I would imagine someone in Wetherholt's shoes would be more inclined to take long-term security. It remains to be seen if the Cardinals will call up Wetherholt before the end of the 2025 season, but not only would I likely be calling him up next week to face the Pittsburgh Pirates, I would want to put an extension in front of his agent and see if a long-term commitment can be had as soon as possible."

While Wetherholt is one of the top prospects in all of baseball for a reason, signing him to a contract like this before he ever plays a game at the big-league level would be beyond foolish.

Jordan Walker was one of the best prospects in baseball a few years ago. While he hasn't been around enough to be labeled a true bust yet, he's certainly trending in that direction. The Cardinals would be crushed if they had to pay Walker along the same price tag as Carroll.

Still, an extension makes sense, but the Cardinals need to see the young infielder at the big league level first. Getting him up for the last month of the season would make this idea make a lot more sense.

This article first appeared on St. Louis Cardinals on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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