In His First Season In The Major Leagues, JJ Wetherholt Just Signed A Nine-Figure Contract

Some baseball players toil away in the minors for years, hoping for their shot at making an MLB roster. Many never reach the big leagues at all, or they only see a few at-bats before getting sent back down to Triple-A. Other players tear through the minors like a warm knife through butter, fast-tracking their appearance to MLB stardom. St. Louis Cardinals middle infielder JJ Wetherholt is following the latter path. And it just earned him a huge pay day.

Wetherholt and the Cardinals agreed to an eight-year contract worth $112.5 million. The deal also includes performance bonuses that could bump up the total value to $132 million.

In terms of guaranteed money, Wetherholt's deal is the third-largest in Cardinals franchise history. Only Paul Goldschmidt (five years, $130 million in 2019) and Matt Holliday (seven years, $120 million in 2010) have had more lucrative contracts. Wetherholt will be making more money with his deal than Albert Pujols, who signed a seven-year, $100 million contract in 2004. Pujols will almost certainly end up in the Hall of Fame, so the Cards are hoping for a similar outcome with Wetherholt.

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St. Louis selected Wetherholt with the seventh pick of the 2024 MLB draft. He signed a $6.8 million contract and was promoted from the team's rookie-league to Single-A roster in only a week. In 2025, he started the season on the Double-A Springfield Cardinals before another mid-season promotion, this time to the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds. He won the Texas League MVP Award in Double-A and the International League Top MLB Prospect Award in Triple-A. When the 2026 season began, the Cardinals announced he'd made the team's Opening Day roster.

With the All-Star Break right around the corner, Wetherholt is the favorite to win National League Rookie of the Year. He's posted batting splits of .267/.362/.411 with 13 home runs, 36 RBI, and 9 stolen bases in 87 games. Assuming he stays healthy, he could approach the 20/20 club in his first season, which is mighty impressive. He's also been a phenomenal defender—primarily at second base, with some shortstop appearances, too—and could rack up multiple Gold Gloves throughout his career.

The deal keeps Wetherholt on the team through 2034. There are also no club options, so the Cardinals will either have to hang onto Wetherholt or trade him should the relationship run its course. There's no indication of that happening anytime soon, though.

If Wetherholt can continue his torrid pace of play and help the Cardinals return to postseason glory, he'll be worth every penny.