The St. Louis Cardinals have continued their stellar season–even during the All-Star break. Jordan Walker stole the show in this year’s Home Run Derby, and it has people asking hard questions.
With a quickened timeline in St. Louis, Redbird fans are hoping for change.
That change started with the extension of star rookie JJ Wetherholt, who inked an eight-year, $112.5 million deal.
Wetherholt was the Cardinals’ first-round pick in 2024 and has been near-perfect to begin his MLB career.
He can hit, run, throw, field, and he’s got sneaky power. Now, the next big contract could be on the horizon.
Should the Cardinals Extend Jordan Walker?
Before smashing six consecutive home runs to steal the Derby from Kyle Schwarber’s clutches, Walker was already making a name for himself.
From the bottom of the barrel to the top of the baseball world, he has shown everyone the kind of person, athlete, and man that he is.
This season, Walker is sporting career highs across the board. Most notably, his 22 home runs, .292 batting average, and .887 OPS have him tallied at 47% above league average.
St. Louis has been looking for a star for some time.
The last duo to walk Busch Stadium, Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt, brought countless highlights, but no Octobers to remember.
If the Cardinals want to position themselves to win in the long run, it could be time to cash in on homegrown talent and build an unshakable foundation for the foreseeable future.
Fans sure seem to think it’s time for a J-Walk extension.
Social Media Reacts to Cardinals’ Jordan Walker
Here’s what people are saying:
Miklasz: “Bernie Show for 7-15: Why the timing is ideal for a Jordan Walker contract extension. What would it cost the #STLCards? I have ideas and discuss the possibilities in this vid. Giancarlo Stanton may offer a clue. youtu.be/WUrPJ9Pjm3c?si via @YouTube.”
Jeff Jones: “The unparalleled knowledge and skills of the great @jonbecker_turned up one very interesting mega extension parallel to Jordan Walker: Austin Riley, who signed for 10/210 the August before his first arb winter four years ago during his age 25 season. Walker is a year younger.”
Ray Mileur: “Jordan Walker’s Home Run Derby win was more than a great moment for #STLCards fans. It may have changed the timing of a bigger conversation. If the Cardinals believe Walker is part of the next core, they should not wait until arbitration to talk extension.”
Evan Bultemeier: “If Jordan Walker wins this whole thing, I better see Chaim Bloom walk on the field with a pen and a paper, and that paper being an 8+ year extension. Seriously but not serious. #STLCards.”
Micah Balu: “The Cardinals front office is realizing that Jordan Walker extension is just getting more and more expensive by the minute.”
Bob Nightengale: “Jordan Walker just made $1 million by winning the HR Derby. That’s $200,00 more than he earns playing all year for the Cardinals with his $799,400 salary.”
Tamar Sher: “Jordan Walker turned All-Star week into a movie: the first Cardinal ever to win the #HRDerby, powering through a hostile Philly crowd in the middle of his breakout season. I spoke with his dad, Derek (@dxwalker1906), and mom Katrina, who told me: “As parents, we really appreciate how much St. Louis has embraced Jordan.” Chaos, joy, history… and this is only the beginning. Full conversation coming soon on @KMOV. #stlcards | @MatrixMidwest.”
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