3 young St. Louis Cardinals that should get Braves-like extensions

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The Atlanta Braves are showing the baseball world how to get team-friendly extensions done, which players should the Cardinals look to extend?

The St. Louis Cardinals have drawn national attention due to record setting seasons from legends like Albert Pujols, Adam Wainwright, and Yadier Molina, and MVP caliber years from Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado. Yet, its the youth movement within the organization that is setting St. Louis up for sustained success.

Rookies like Brendan Donovan, Nolan Gorman, and Andre Pallante have been valuable contributors to this teams postseason push. Younger core players like Tommy Edman, Lars Nootbaar, and Dylan Carlson are carving out important roles on the club. Top prospects like Jordan Walker, Maysn Winn, and Alec Burleson give the Cardinals even more to look forward to.

Teams around the league are seeing great value in locking up young core players to long-term, team friendly deals. Players like Julio Rodriguez and Wander Franco have received massive deals over the last year, but its the Atlanta Braves that have really set the precedent for this.

Recently, the club locked up OF Michael Harris II and 3B Austin Riley, who follow in a long line of the Braves young core that have received long term extensions, including guys like Ronald Acuna Jr., Ozzie Albies, and Matt Olsen.

St. Louis has payroll flexibility entering this offseason, and though the club should look to focus a lot of those resources on bringing in even more talent, they would be wise to consider long-term extensions with their young core. There is risk in extending guys in their early 20s to huge contracts, but if the Braves have shown anything, you can also receive huge discounts by paying players a few years early, rather than waiting things out.

Here are players that St. Louis should consider signing to long-term extensions before they hit arbitration.

Nolan Gorman

After going on an absolute tear in AAA Memphis to start 2022 by hitting 15 HR in just 34 games, Nolan Gorman received a call-up to St. Louis and has been a valuable contributor to the club this season.

In 270 ABs, Gorman is hitting .233/.303/.433 with 14 HR and 35 RBIs. While some may have had higher expectations for Gorman, these are great numbers from a 22-year old making his debut as a power first bat for a contending team. Gorman faces great pressure night in and night out to outperform guys like Tommy Edman and Brendan Donovan to earn playing time.

At his current pace, if Gorman were to have about 550 at-bats (average for an everyday starter), he would have 29 HRs on the season and 24 doubles. This kind of power from the second base spot, as a rookie, it just rare. Assuming Gorman continues to develop, it is fair to think he will hit at least .250-.260 with 35+ HR in his prime.

Locking up this kind of bat is worth the risk for St. Louis. He would not command the amount of money a Julio Rodriguez or Wander Franco did, but could look for something in the ballpark of Michael Harris II’s 8 year, $72 million extension. This in my mind would be the ceiling for a contract with Gorman, as he plays a less premier position.

Once Gorman begins hitting arbitration, his salary will skyrocket and once free agent comes around, a $150-$200 million deal could be possible if all goes to plan. Locking him up now at a team friendly number could give St. Louis a lot of flexibility down the line.

Lars Nootbaar

Quickly becoming a fan favorite in St. Louis, Lars Nootbaar is not just a spark plug, fourth outfielder anymore, but a legit force at the plate with great defense in right field.

Since the second half began, Nootbaar is slashing .239/.366/.478 with 7 HR and 21 RBI in 172 PA. He has walked more than he has struck out, and is giving the Cardinals great power from the lead-off spot against right handed pitching.

Nootbaar is not the same level of player as some of the players who have received extensions around the league yet, but if the Cardinals believe his hot stretch is for real, he could soon find himself has an extremely valuable player in the league.

The 25-year old would not command a large number and wouldn’t need 10-12 years of security to get it done. This makes Nootbaar a great candidate for a “buy now why you can” kind of deal, and hope he continues to be the player he has been. If not, his AAV won’t be so high that the club cannot get rid of him, so it provides low risk to St. Louis.

While the Cardinals do have a lot of outfield options moving forward, Tyler O’Neill will be hitting free agency soon and Nootbaar has arguably been their most effective outfielder this season.

Jordan Walker

This may seem crazy to extend a prospect before they have even made their major league debut, but in the case of a talent like Jordan Walker, this could save the Cardinals, at minimum, tens of millions of dollars.

Walker has vaulted himself into the top 10 prospects in all of baseball and is already number one is some minds. He has slashed .308/.392/.518 with 18 HR, 61 RBI, and 19 SB in AA Springfield this season. Walker was drafted as an extremely raw talent, but has shown elite bat to ball skills while having loads of untapped potential still. Walker looks like a future MVP in the making.

Many are penciling in Walker as the 2023 NL Rookie of the Year, and with the new incentives that the CBA has put in place, he would gain another year of service time if he finishes first or second. This means his free agency clock could be accelerated, making early extension talk vital. The club will want Walker to be in the ROY conversation, as that means he is developing into that player they think he’ll be, and the club will receive a draft pick.

There is precedent for players receiving extensions before playing in the majors, with the likes of Luis Robert, Evan White, and Eloy Jimenez receiving such deals in recent years. The largest of those was Robert, who inked a six-year, $50 million deal with two additional $20 million club options.

Getting Walker on a deal like this, rather than waiting it out, could save the Cardinals a fortune. Julio Rodriguez received a 12 year, $210 million deal in August, and could be end up being 18 years, $470 million if all options and incentives are exercised. There is no guarantee Walker would consider a Robert type deal, but at least having the conversation would be in St. Louis best interest.

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The Atlanta Braves are showing the baseball world how to get team-friendly extensions done, which players should the Cardinals look to extend?

Nolan Gorman

Lars Nootbaar

Jordan Walker

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