Cardinals, rookie 2B JJ Wetherholt agree on 9-figure extension, per Passan

Deal buys out several years of free agency.

Wire Report IntelligenceUpdated Jul 111 min read

What happened: The St. Louis Cardinals and rookie second baseman JJ Wetherholt are in agreement on a long-term, nine-figure contract extension, ESPN's Jeff Passan reported Friday. The deal will buy out multiple years of Wetherholt's free agency eligibility.

Why it matters: The extension locks up a core piece for St. Louis, which sits 48-44 and leads its series with Atlanta 2-1 entering Friday. Passan's report comes the same week he detailed the MLB trade deadline landscape for ESPN, underscoring how the club is treating Wetherholt as a long-term building block rather than a deadline trade chip.

By the numbers: St. Louis is 48-44 this season and has lost four of its last five games, scoring 4.6 runs per game against 4.5 allowed. The Cardinals took two of three from Atlanta in their last meeting, including an 11-5 win on July 2.

What to watch: St. Louis opens Friday's game against Atlanta leading their series 2-1, as Wetherholt's extension awaits official club confirmation.

Sources

Yahoo MLB 2026-07-10T19:08:10.826646+00:00

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