The Seattle Mariners and Milwaukee Brewers have taken significant steps in recent days to sign their young players and best prospects to large contracts.
Before Cooper Pratt ever reached the major leagues, the Brewers signed him to a long-term contract. Colt Emerson was just awarded over $100 million over eight years by the Mariners.
The St. Louis Cardinals ought to be open to learning from them. Particularly before they start to heat up this season, the Cardinals might afford to sign some of their young talents to large contracts.
For long-term agreements, who should the Caridnals lock down?
SS Masyn Winn
Despite producing mediocrely at the plate, Masyn Winn, one of the best young shortstops in the game, has made it this far. He is among the top players in the game on the field. Before he starts to find his groove at the bat, the Cardinals need to work out a large contract deal with him, which would significantly increase his worth. Although St. Louis has middle infield depth going forward, it wouldn’t need to worry about adding a shortstop for the duration of Winn’s deal if it could lock him down.
C/DH Iván Herrera
The Cardinals’ top hitter, Iván Herrera, is probably just going to get better over time. Herrera is a powerful slugger with excellent plate discipline. He is highly valued because to his ability to catch, but going ahead, the Cardinals will probably employ him as the designated hitter more frequently than anything else. In any case, his bat is extremely important. To keep him when his contract expires, the Cardinals could afford to offer him a huge deal spread over six or seven years.
2B JJ Wetherholt
JJ Wetherholt is the target audience for this type of list. The Cardinals must sign Wetherholt to a major contract, just as the Mariners did with Emerson. They might even make a deal for about the same amount. Wetherholt and Emerson are fairly comparable at this stage of their careers. The Cardinals should sign him to a huge contract for the next eight to ten seasons if they are prepared to wager on his future. This would be the ideal solution if Wetherholt’s early output is representative of his future with St. Louis.
