It's time for the Cardinals to reward Jordan Walker with an extension

The bulk of extension talk around St. Louis has been focused on JJ Wetherholt and Ivan Herrera. Rightfully so, as Wetherholt is a Rookie of the Year candidate, and Ivan Herrera is continuing his meteoric rise on the offensive side. However, there is one player who has done more than enough to deserve a contract extension: Jordan Walker.

Walker has a .308/.393/.611 slash line with 13 home runs, 34 RBIs, and seven stolen bases. He's nearing his previous season high in home runs, and his .994 OPS is far and above a career high for him. In only 43 games in 2026, he's already reversed his bWAR total, racking up 2.6 bWAR. After his home run on Friday night, that total will be nearing 3.0 bWAR before we know it.

Walker's defense has also been superb this year. He's accumulated five Defensive Runs Saved (DRS), and his arm strength ranks in the 99th percentile in baseball. He also ranks in the 92nd percentile in sprint speed, a pleasant addition to his already MVP-level production.

He's gone from a potential bust to a middle-of-the-order bat and potential MVP candidate. His reversal of fortunes has been a joy to watch, and a multi-year contract extension has been earned by Walker.

The St. Louis Cardinals should extend Jordan Walker now

MLB insider Robert Murray proposed this idea earlier last week. Murray compared Walker's potential contract extension to division rival Pete Crow-Armstrong's six-year deal and Austin Riley's 10-year deal. Regardless of the deal Walker could sign, Murray sees him as a core player for the Cardinals.

Walker represents the face of the new brand of Cardinals baseball," wrote Murray. "And the longer they wait on an extension, the higher the price may go."

Crow-Armstrong and the Cubs agreed to a six-year, $115 million deal prior to the 2026 season. The center fielder was coming off a career year in 2025. Walker's early career struggles should lower that price tag, but it shouldn't be significantly cheaper.

Austin Riley agreed to a 10-year, $212 million deal in August 2022. Once again, I don't think Walker will hit a price tag that high, but he certainly won't be far off.

Jordan Walker is six months younger than JJ Wetherholt. 2026 is a full-on redo for Jordan Walker, and with him being younger than Jordan Walker, we should essentially treat this season as a rookie year for Walker. He turns 24 in a week; there's still plenty of peak years left for Walker, assuming this breakout season is legitimate.

A six-year deal for Jordan Walker resets his team control clock; it would award Walker a pay increase, perhaps into the $100-million range. That's a sizable pay raise for a player who would be entering his first year of arbitration next year. This six-year deal still makes him a free agent at age 29, a great year for free agency to begin.

There's still a lot of season left; however, Jordan Walker's breakout appears to be legitimate. A multi-year extension could behoove both Walker and the Cardinals. However, it takes two to tango, and I would imagine Jordan would like to wait as long as possible to sign a deal. With every home run that he hits, his value increases proportionally.

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