The St. Louis Cardinals have a difficult decision to make this offseason about whether they should extend All-Star outfielder Jordan Walker now or wait.
Walker, 24, had a breakout campaign this year. In his fourth season in the big leagues, the outfield slugger slashed .269/.327/.466, hit 29 home runs and drove in 102 runs in 158 games. Walker also hit 33 doubles, won the Home Run Derby and earned his first career All-Star selection. The Cardinals' offseason plans are more complicated now, given how well the 24-year-old played this year.
St. Louis entered a full-scale rebuild last offseason, trading away most of its veteran stars and prioritizing developing young players this season, which has paid off. Along with Walker, Alec Burleson, JJ Wetherholt and Riley O'Brien developed into solid players for the organization this year, with Wetherholt signing an eight-year, $112.5 million extension himself. Unlike the rookie second baseman, however, Walker is eligible for arbitration this offseason and will hit free agency after the 2029 campaign, and will be far more expensive to extend.
Extending Walker would be expensive
Handing Walker a long-term extension could roughly be a $200-$300 million commitment, given how well he performed this year. Though he is a key piece for the Cardinals' future, the team is not ready to truly contend right now. With years left before Walker becomes a free agent, St. Louis could hold off on extending him for now.
Another factor that further complicates extending Walker is his past performance. He is a four-year MLB veteran, playing significant time in the majors each year. After an impressive rookie season in which he mashed 16 home runs and drove in 51 runs in 117 games, Walker regressed over the past two years. He was even demoted twice during his sophomore season.
Walker went from hitting six home runs and driving in 41 runs last year to 29 home runs and 102 RBIs this year. St. Louis is hopeful the young outfielder will maintain his high level of play and be a key piece for the team's future, but it will be interesting to see whether the team is ready to give Walker a massive raise anytime soon.
Cardinals president of baseball operations, Chaim Bloom, knows St. Louis has a long way to go in its rebuild and is not looking to take any shortcuts. With that in mind, the team likely won't spend big in the offseason on external players, which could give Walker a better chance for an extension, especially considering how weak this year's free-agent class is shaping up.
Either way, Walker's emergence as a star slugger has been a great development for the Cardinals.
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