Apr 14, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman JJ Wetherholt (26) runs the bases after hitting a two run home run for his second home run of the game against the Cleveland Guardians during the eighth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

New Development in Cardinals’ JJ Wetherholt Extension Talks

Originally posted on St. Louis Cardinals on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Apr 15, 2026 8:06 AM ET

JJ Wetherholt had one of his best nights in the big leagues so far on Tuesday.

The St. Louis Cardinals phenom went 2-for-4 against the Cleveland Guardians with two homers, three RBIs, two runs scored, and continued flashing some serious leather over at second base. Overall, it was a near-perfect night. Wetherholt was good, Michael McGreevy was lights-out on the mound and the club won in walk-off fashion. When the young Cardinals are at their best, this is the type of team that they can be. Good pitching, timely hitting, and scrappy overall.

We're just a few weeks into the 2026 MLB season and Wetherholt has shown that he belongs, to say the least. He has slashed .231/.338/.385 with three homers, eight RBIs, three stolen bases, one double and 13 runs scored in 17 games. He also is in the 100th percentile in outs above average with five. Overall, he's been great and that batting average number will go up.

There has been a trend around Major League Baseball with young guys landing early long-term extensions. Wetherholt should join that list. There's been buzz out there about the team being interested in a long-term deal, but nothing has been signed yet. On Tuesday, The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal gave an update on where things stand while joining "Foul Territory."

Where Things Stand With JJ Wetherholt

Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

"Wetherholt is a guy that has had extension discussions with the Cardinals, as I reported, they have not progressed," Rosenthal said. "Listen, these talks take place between players and teams all the time. Not all of them result in deals. It gets to a point where if you can't find the sweet spot for the player and the club, then they kind of let it go and maybe resume these talks at a later time.

"As for the player himself, he's a really interesting guy to me. He was undrafted out of high school. Nobody took him. Goes to West Virginia on a scholarship and becomes the player he is today. This amazing knack for going to the opposite field and just a solid, steady, overall mature kid in every sense of the world."

The fact that the club has had talks with Wetherholt isn't anything new. This isn't even the first time Rosenthal has reported that talks have been held. The fact that they haven't progressed and Rosenthal alluded to the idea of players and teams tabling talks after they don't work out is interesting. With uncertainty coming to Major League Baseball after the season, the Cardinals arguably shouldn't wait and table the talks. When the collective bargaining agreement expires after the season ends, there's no way to know right now what is going to happen. There's been a lot of speculation about the idea of losing time in a season due to negotiations. Hopefully, that's not the case.

But Wetherholt has momentum right now. With the uncertainty coming, it would be for the best to get a deal done now and then simply carry it over into whatever comes from the CBA talks.

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

More must-reads: