Which Young Players Should the Cardinals Extend?

The Cardinals’ utility fielder and hit machine is the most likely player to receive a contract extension. Brendan Donovan has never had a bad season with the Cardinals. In four years in St. Louis, Donovan has a .782 OPS and has accumulated 9.8 fWAR. 

If the Cardinals were to extend him, how many years and how much money would the extension be for? 

The best starting point is player comparisons. Jeff McNeil and Tommy Edman both received new contracts in the past few years and are comparable to Donovan. The Mets gave McNeil a four-year, $50 million contract, and the Dodgers extended Edman for five years and $74 million.

All three are utility fielders and profile as bat-to-ball hitters. They do not strike out much (although Edman’s K% is much higher than McNeil’s and Donovan’s) and rack up hits.

Donovan, however, is more valuable than either because of his age. Donovan is 28. Edman signed his extension going into his age-30 season, while McNeil’s extension began in his age-31 campaign.

McNeil’s best season was in 2022, when he accumulated 5.6 fWAR and won a batting title with a .326 batting average. After that stellar season, the Mets extended him. 

The Cardinals traded Edman to the Dodgers last July as part of a three-team deal with the White Sox. Edman had a decent regular season with the eventual World Series champions, posting a .711 OPS, but he really showed his value in the postseason.

In 16 postseason games in 2024, Edman slashed .328/.352/.508 for an .862 OPS. He was the NLCS MVP. He is now making $13.04 million a year, which may be a slight underpay when looking at his total value.

Donovan is on pace for his best season. His career high fWAR is 3.2; he is already at 2.4 this season. 

Through 66 games, Donovan has an .839 OPS, a 139 wRC+ and 21 doubles. For comparison, through 66 games of McNeil’s best season, his OPS was .848 with a 144 wRC+ and 17 doubles. 

Edman is making more money than McNeil (even with deferrals that lower his average annual salary), but he has a much lower career OPS and wRC+ than Donovan. In his career, Donovan has a .782 OPS and 123 wRC+ in 1,778 plate appearances. Over his last 1,776 PA, Edman has a .720 OPS and a wRC+ of 100.

While McNeil and Edman both received contracts for over $50 million, Donovan should get more than either of them. The biggest issue here is whether the Cardinals are willing to pay. The Mets and Dodgers are the top two teams by payroll in 2025, while the Cardinals are in the middle of the pack.  

Based on McNeil’s and Edman’s contracts, Donovan should make around $80-90 million over five or six years. However, because the Cardinals have not been willing to give out larger contracts (their biggest free agent signing in recent years was Contreras in 2022 on a five-year $87.5 million contract), the Cardinals seem more likely to make an offer in the $65-75 million range. 

If they can lock him up for five, six, or even seven years for around that much, the Cardinals would ensure their purest hitter remains with the team for the foreseeable future. Whether or not he’d be willing to accept such an offer is another question.

Masyn Winn 

Sophomore shortstop Masyn Winn is the future of the Cardinals. He still has several years of control, but that has not stopped other teams from locking up their star shortstops. 

The Royals and Diamondbacks both extended their young shortstops recently. Bobby Witt Jr. is one of the best players in baseball. The Royals gave him an 11-year, $288.7 million contract extension. Winn is more comparable to Geraldo Perdomo, whom the Diamondbacks extended for four years and $45 million. 

Winn and Peredomo have put up similar numbers this year. Winn is two years younger than Perdomo and has played more than 200 fewer games. Perdomo’s career OPS is 13 points lower than Winn’s, while his wRC+ is only two points lower. This season, however, Perdomo has outhit Winn, with a .768 OPS and 115 wRC+ to Winn’s .708 and 101.  

Where Winn really stands out is his fielding. In 2024, Winn recorded 14 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS). Perdomo has one in his entire career at shortstop, although he had a 10 DRS season last year. Statcast’s Fielding Run Value (FRV) also suggests Winn has been the far superior defender.

As things stand in 2025, Perdomo has 2.3 fWAR while Winn has 1.9. Perdomo’s production this year has been worth more than his $11.25 million average annual salary (that kicks in next year). Winn needs to maintain his solid production for another season or two, but his value should be worth an extension a little less than or equal to Perdomo’s. 

Iván Herrera

The 25-year-old catcher and designated hitter has become one of the Cardinals’ best hitters this year. In just 72 games last year, Iván Herrera‘s OPS was .800. This year, it is up to .923 through 41 games. 

Herrera has not reached arbitration yet. He has one more year of pre-arb before he reaches his first year of arbitration eligibility. He is currently making $770,300. 

While the Cardinals will definitely let Herrera reach arbitration, they should consider extending him in the next couple of years. He has only gotten better with time, and should he reach free agency, he could be sought after because of his profile as a strong offensive catcher. 

In January 2023, the Tampa Bay Rays gave Yandy Díaz a three-year deal worth $24 million with a club option for 2026. They picked up that option to make the contract four years and worth $36 million. Since 2023, Díaz and Herrera have a 136 and 138 wRC+, respectively. Díaz’s .823 OPS in that span is comparable to Herrera’s .840.

That said, Herrera is several years younger than Diaz and can play behind the plate (although he is more of a designated hitter these days). When the time is right for him, the Cardinals should jump at the chance to extend Herrera for four years and $45 million, a deal similar to Díaz’s but that accounts for Herrera’s age and positional value.

The effect of avoiding arbitration cannot be understated. Having to fight with their teams over whether they are worth $1.2 million or $1 million surely has a negative effect on players. The Cardinals need to show Herrera that they value him.