Cardinals insider just dropped an eye-popping number for a Jordan Walker extension

Jordan Walker sure seems like he's lined up for a big payday, but I'm guessing many St. Louis Cardinals fans would be surprised at just how massive that number may come out to if an extension is reached.

Walker, who is set to hit free agency at age 27 after the 2029 season, will be in that Goldilocks zone where free agents tend to get generational paydays, like Juan Soto, Bryce Harper, Manny Machado, and other stars who hit free agency well before their 30s. Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch discussed the ramifications of that on 101 ESPN's BK & Ferrario, indicating that means the number will be very, very high.

To be clear, Goold did not report any official numbers, but when asked by Brandon Kiley about how comparable to Nolan Arenado's eight-year, $260 million extension that he signed with the Colorado Rockies was to a potential Walker deal, Goold said that it is "remarkably close", with a nine-year deal getting to the $300 million mark. Again, the point isn't the exact numbers, but rather, just how massive in general a deal for Walker will likely be.

The Cardinals are taking a massive gamble whether they sign Jordan Walker to an extension or wait

No matter how you slice it, that is a huge number, one that probably feels very uncomfortable to some after seeing how poorly Walker played the last two years. But at the same time, if you do not sign Walker to that deal and he keeps performing like this, that number is only going to creep up to the $300 million, $400 million, and even $500 million or more price range.

If the Cardinals believe Walker is this guy moving forward, getting an extension done as soon as possible makes the most sense. They cannot let a talent like Walker get away. There is an interesting wrinkle in whether or not the new collective bargaining agreement may put a cap on what Walker could make long-term, but then St. Louis runs the risk that in that new CBA, Walker may not be as inclined to sign an extension.

Over the last few days, so many people have tried to throw out ideas for potential Walker extensions. FanGraphs' Jon Becker suggested a comp similar to Austin Riley, who got a ten-year, $210 million extension, while I've seen fans throw out long-term deals with the total number being south of $200 million. We don't really know what the real numbers are, but I tend to believe Goold when he says something like that.

Cardinals president Bill DeWitt III already stated during JJ Wetherholt's extension press conference that he expects more deals to come, so the Cardinals seem primed to walk to get something done with Walker at some point as well. My guess is that they don't want to play the waiting game with him and potentially run into another situation like Albert Pujols leaving town.

Luckily for Chaim Bloom, the Cardinals have a blank slate right now outside of Wetherholt's new extension. This really does give them ultimate flexibility to lock in Walker long-term, and is something they need to get done as soon as possible.

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