Would Bloom consider signing Wetherholt to long term deal ?

[ramfandan]

Why would the player consider it…

He’s already locked in for six years…if he is that good he will cash in at arbitration after three

and then he goes free agent and makes even more

Signing a team friendly deal now is betting against himself..

I would guess possibly a couple reasons ... 1) The first 3 years in baseball you make peanuts relatively speaking . If good your arbitration years may start out a couple million dollars and then move up some for the next 3 years . By signing , Chourio is getting $10M per year right from the get go . He already has $20M in the bank for 2024 & 2025 . 2) The injury factor.. If he dives for a ball and screws up his shoulder requiring rotator surgery and or torn knee ligaments , bone fractures , he may never be the same player long term. So the long term 8 year deal is guaranteed $10M average per year ($80M ) regardless of your health . That certainly factors in.

PS The club also has 2 option years for years 9 & 10 where Chourio's total goes to $142 M for all the years. Brewers can buy him out for $2M if they don't want him then .
Even if they do the 2 option years and keep him til 2033 , 8 years from this season the kid will still be just 29 years old . He can leave the Brewers and probably still get a lucrative deal for several years then . age 29 would be still at the end of his prime years ..

[Jatalk]

Much too big a gamble. Got to prove himself.

Many would feel a big gamble by Arnold. The next question that arises is then 'how long is the 'got to prove himself period ?
In Boston's case, they saw him play 46 games this year hitting .276 and signed him for 8 years. compared to Chourio deal , that '46 game look see' cost them nearly $50 M more than Brewers . If JJ played very well in Sept. , would that be enough time to prove himself ?
If not , 50 games at start of 2026 ? It does pose an interesting question.

Year before rookie options expire at earliest. What is that say 4 years? I don’t see the need to rush.

[Hartfan1]

Brewers fan here. Lurk here fairly often just to keep tabs on the Cards as a competitor in the NL Central. It's worth noting that Chourio has 2 club option years @ $25M per season so could be a 10y/132M contract when all is said and done.

Brewers did similar deals with Freddy Peralta and Aaron Ashby and rumor is they are trying to do the same with Misiorowski. Clearly, it is a risk, but so far it has worked out for the Brewers. Chourio has an incredible ceiling if he can improve his swing decisions.

Wetherholt seems to be the real deal. I have a keen interest in his development as I pulled his 2/3 Firefractor Bowman First Auto. I ended up selling it for a good chunk of change on EBay, but if he continues to be a stud, I'm going to regret not getting more!

Still have a great deal of respect for the Cards organization as I've wanted the Brewers to emulate the Cards for years prior to the Brewers being competitive and surpassing the Cards in recent history. Anyway, I'll disappear back into the weeds, but thought I had something to contribute here.

[WaltsSuccessor]

Paul deJong?

How is Paul DeJong a comparable to JJ Wetherholt ?

DeJong 4th rounder pick 130 JJ 1st rounder 7th player

Minors batting avg .

DeJong A ball .281 , AA .261 AAA .276

Wetherholt A .295 29 games AA .300 62 games AAA .338 18 games

Though DeJong had power , he was not even close to being the hitter of Wetherholt in minors.

Paul hit a lot of HRs his first partial year here. Most HRs in a season by Cardinals SS.

You don't even have to use the benefit of hindsight to recognize that was a complete fluke. PDJ never had the prospect pedigree of JJ. Not only was he never a top 100 prospect in any publication - the highest he ever climbed on the Cardinal's internal list was #11.

It was a dumb extension day one. Mo got too cute. Guy had a great 48 games in AAA in 2017 that he carried into his first partial year in the Bigs. Never produced at that level again, despite all the HRs. Peaked at 23.

[Futuregm2]

Paul deJong?

How is Paul DeJong a comparable to JJ Wetherholt ?

DeJong 4th rounder pick 130 JJ 1st rounder 7th player

Minors batting avg .

DeJong A ball .281 , AA .261 AAA .276

Wetherholt A .295 29 games AA .300 62 games AAA .338 18 games

Though DeJong had power , he was not even close to being the hitter of Wetherholt in minors.

Paul hit a lot of HRs his first partial year here. Most HRs in a season by Cardinals SS.

You don't even have to use the benefit of hindsight to recognize that was a complete fluke. PDJ never had the prospect pedigree of JJ. Not only was he never a top 100 prospect in any publication - the highest he ever climbed on the Cardinal's internal list was #11.

It was a dumb extension day one. Mo got too cute. Guy had a great 48 games in AAA in 2017 that he carried into his first partial year in the Bigs. Never produced at that level again, despite all the HRs. Peaked at 23.

Well the extension wasn’t even a bad extension. It was $28 million. He was a 10.5 bWAR player over the next 5 or so years with the Cardinals. A player like Wetherholt will be more like the Chourio or Anthony deal which is $100-130+ million.

[dugoutrex]

he gave Story a fortune so why not

[ScotchMIrish]

Perhaps but I would point out Chourio was putting up .800 OPS at AA at the age of 19. Wetherholt is 22. The potential downside is the player sustains a serious injury which is why Milwaukee has club options for years 9 and 10.

Burleson hit .330 in AAA age 23. Age 24 MLB .240.

Saggese hit .317 AAA age 23. Age 23 MLB .220.

I'd be inclined to wait to see how Wetherholt hits MLB pitching before I make a move like Milwaukee did with Chourio.

[ramfandan]

Brewers fan here. Lurk here fairly often just to keep tabs on the Cards as a competitor in the NL Central. It's worth noting that Chourio has 2 club option years @ $25M per season so could be a 10y/132M contract when all is said and done.

Brewers did similar deals with Freddy Peralta and Aaron Ashby and rumor is they are trying to do the same with Misiorowski. Clearly, it is a risk, but so far it has worked out for the Brewers. Chourio has an incredible ceiling if he can improve his swing decisions.

Wetherholt seems to be the real deal. I have a keen interest in his development as I pulled his 2/3 Firefractor Bowman First Auto. I ended up selling it for a good chunk of change on EBay, but if he continues to be a stud, I'm going to regret not getting more!

Still have a great deal of respect for the Cards organization as I've wanted the Brewers to emulate the Cards for years prior to the Brewers being competitive and surpassing the Cards in recent history. Anyway, I'll disappear back into the weeds, but thought I had something to contribute here.

Nice to see your participation . Formerly lived in eastern Wisconsin for years . What area do you reside ?

[imetsatchelpaige]

Does player compensation stop if there’s a strike or lock out?

Impact of Work Stoppages:
During a work stoppage, players may not be paid during the period of the work stoppage, but they may be paid any deferred compensation or signing bonuses earned before the stoppage, according to MLB.com. The MLBPA may also provide some financial assistance to players during a strike or lockout, says CBS Sports.

[45s]

Why would the player consider it…

He’s already locked in for six years…if he is that good he will cash in at arbitration after three

and then he goes free agent and makes even more

Signing a team friendly deal now is betting against himself..

I would guess possibly a couple reasons ... 1) The first 3 years in baseball you make peanuts relatively speaking . If good your arbitration years may start out a couple million dollars and then move up some for the next 3 years . By signing , Chourio is getting $10M per year right from the get go . He already has $20M in the bank for 2024 & 2025 . 2) The injury factor.. If he dives for a ball and screws up his shoulder requiring rotator surgery and or torn knee ligaments , bone fractures , he may never be the same player long term. So the long term 8 year deal is guaranteed $10M average per year ($80M ) regardless of your health . That certainly factors in.

PS The club also has 2 option years for years 9 & 10 where Chourio's total goes to $142 M for all the years. Brewers can buy him out for $2M if they don't want him then .
Even if they do the 2 option years and keep him til 2033 , 8 years from this season the kid will still be just 29 years old . He can leave the Brewers and probably still get a lucrative deal for several years then . age 29 would be still at the end of his prime years ..

Reasonable points…….but it delays free agency two years….and that’s where the bucks are…

Personally I think the hype is over the top….I wish the young man well….but there’s a reason they call it the big leagues…we will see..

[Ronnie Dobbs]

Perhaps but I would point out Chourio was putting up .800 OPS at AA at the age of 19. Wetherholt is 22. The potential downside is the player sustains a serious injury which is why Milwaukee has club options for years 9 and 10.

Burleson hit .330 in AAA age 23. Age 24 MLB .240.

Saggese hit .317 AAA age 23. Age 23 MLB .220.

I'd be inclined to wait to see how Wetherholt hits MLB pitching before I make a move like Milwaukee did with Chourio.

That's cool, but JJ put up (bleep) near a .900 OPS in AA and is putting up a 1.126 OPS in AAA.

And no offense, but batting average doesn't mean anything, really, in the grand scheme. It's a measure of one thing. He's putting up a 183 wRC+ in AAA. I'm not going to bother, but I'm going to assume neither Burleson or Saggese came close to that.

[Cardinals4Life]

Why would the player consider it…

He’s already locked in for six years…if he is that good he will cash in at arbitration after three

and then he goes free agent and makes even more

Signing a team friendly deal now is betting against himself..

There are no guarantees in professional sports (except guaranteed contracts and Pujols baby!!), so for a young guy taking a multimillion dollar deal before he has even played a MLB game is HUGE! Set up for life and likely will get another deal at some point of he performs!

[Cardinals4Life]

Brewers fan here. Lurk here fairly often just to keep tabs on the Cards as a competitor in the NL Central. It's worth noting that Chourio has 2 club option years @ $25M per season so could be a 10y/132M contract when all is said and done.

Brewers did similar deals with Freddy Peralta and Aaron Ashby and rumor is they are trying to do the same with Misiorowski. Clearly, it is a risk, but so far it has worked out for the Brewers. Chourio has an incredible ceiling if he can improve his swing decisions.

Wetherholt seems to be the real deal. I have a keen interest in his development as I pulled his 2/3 Firefractor Bowman First Auto. I ended up selling it for a good chunk of change on EBay, but if he continues to be a stud, I'm going to regret not getting more!

Still have a great deal of respect for the Cards organization as I've wanted the Brewers to emulate the Cards for years prior to the Brewers being competitive and surpassing the Cards in recent history. Anyway, I'll disappear back into the weeds, but thought I had something to contribute here.

45 needs to read this!

Basically you took the guaranteed money now for the J.J. card. But had you waited you might have gotten more or possibly a lot less. It's the exact same scenario as the topic we are discussing!!

[Cardly]

Whetherholt is compared to Matt Carpenter and JD Drew. Some of us are old enough to remember both well. Neither were worth rushing to sign to long term deals. There is currently not one member of this team, in the minors or majors, that needs to be extended!

IF JJ could bring another Adam Wainwright to the Cards as the JD Drew trade did, let’s make that deal!

[Ronnie Dobbs]

Whetherholt is compared to Matt Carpenter and JD Drew. Some of us are old enough to remember both well. Neither were worth rushing to sign to long term deals. There is currently not one member of this team, in the minors or majors, that needs to be extended!

IF JJ could bring another Adam Wainwright to the Cards as the JD Drew trade did, let’s make that deal!

First of all, you must have listened to the Bernie video on JJ the other day, because he is the only one I heard make those two comparisons. And they were specific comparisons, by the way, not comparisons of them as players as a whole.

Second of all, Carpenter and Drew were studs, so if you could sign them to an affordable contract when they were still young through like age 32, you'd be a fool not too. If Wetherholt has a career like either of those guys, that's a (bleep) good career.

Third, a team friendly contract like we're discussing isn't going to prevent them from trading for a young prospect. That's the point of these deals. They're not prohibitive of things like that, like when you wait until later, or when they're free agents with a NTC to sign them.

Fourth, people around here are losing their minds because we traded a reliever for a few 20 year olds at high A ball. If we traded a player as good as Drew and Carpenter were in their primes for a 21 year old at AA, this place would explode.

[Bomber1]

Much too big a gamble. Got to prove himself.

Many would feel a big gamble by Arnold. The next question that arises is then 'how long is the 'got to prove himself period ?
In Boston's case, they saw him play 46 games this year hitting .276 and signed him for 8 years. compared to Chourio deal , that '46 game look see' cost them nearly $50 M more than Brewers . If JJ played very well in Sept. , would that be enough time to prove himself ?
If not , 50 games at start of 2026 ? It does pose an interesting question.

IMO your “$ 50 million” premise is flawed.

There is absolutely zero evidence that Anthony would have signed for the same contract as Chouriodid before Anthony played a ML game.

Way too many variables involved.