Jordan Walker Is Building a Strong Case for a Cardinals Extension

Before the 2026 Major League Baseball season began, there was a section of the St. Louis Cardinals' fanbase that was calling on the organization to send Jordan Walker down to the minors.

Walker notably struggled offensively throughout Spring Training. Throughout camp, he slashed .205/.255/.273 with a .528 OPS, one homer, and three RBIs in 14 games. As is the case every year, there was far too much stock put into Spring Training statistics. We made the case to give Walker a chance. Obviously, the Cardinals didn't start Walker down in Triple-A in a season that is all about development. Walker had already spent part of three seasons in the big leagues at that point. What would a stint against worse pitching in the minors show? Nothing really.

Walker stayed put on the big league roster and has been one of the biggest breakout stars of 2026. In 41 games, he has slashed .290/.369/.555 with a .924 OPS, 11 homers, 30 RBIs, seven stolen bases, 19 walks, eight doubles and 32 runs scored. He already has as many homers this season (11) as he did over the last two seasons combined (11). Also, he's just 10 walks away from tying his total from last season at 29. Last season, he played in 111 games. This year, he has played just 41 games and already is inching towards that mark, which shows significantly improved control of the strike zone.

All in all, Walker has been incredible. The perception of him has completely shifted around the league. So much so that FanSided's Robert Murray made the case for Walker to land an extension from St. Louis.

Should The Cardinals Offer Jordan Walker A Long-Term Deal?

"While JJ Wetherholt has been mentioned as an extension candidate for the St. Louis Cardinals, the case for locking up Jordan Walker is also strong," Murray wrote. "Walker, 23, has broken out this season and is hitting .298/.378/.570 with 11 home runs and 30 RBI. He ranks tied for 13th in baseball in fWAR (1.8), and his jump in OPS — .584 in 2025 to .947 in 2026 — has caught the attention of scouts across the game. ...

"There’s a couple different ways that Walker and the Cardinals can go about this. He could sign a six-year extension similar to Pete Crow-Armstrong's, one that would allow him to test free agency in his age-29 season and have another chance at a long-term contract. He could also follow the Austin Riley route and do a 10-year extension that would lock him up for the majority of his career."

Who saw extension talk coming this season? The idea makes a lot of sense. Walker is just 23 years old. He'll turn 24 years old on May 22. Right now, he's under team control through the 2029 season. So, right now, the Cardinals have him under control for three more seasons. After the 2029 season, Walker is scheduled to enter free agency at 27 years old. If the Cardinals were to offer some sort of extension, it would have to cover the years of control he already has, plus at least a few years of free agency.

Crow-Armstrong got a six-year, $115 million deal. He was a 2.3-WAR player in 2024 and a 6.0-WAR player in 2025. Both Crow-Armstrong and Walker entered the big leagues in 2023. Walker hasn't finished a season with a positive WAR yet. So, $115 million would be a tad aggressive. But with the progress that he's shown this season, what about something like six years and $85 million? That would cover the three years of control and then three seasons afterward.

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