Would Bloom consider signing Wetherholt to long term deal ?

[ramfandan]

How aggressive might Chiam Bloom be in locking up JJ Wetherholt ?
https://reviewingthebrew.com/latest-bom ... k22ftyr58a

Two years ago the Brewers signed rookie Jackson Chourio to an 8 yr.-$82 M deal just prior to his rookie year. The other day Boston Red Sox signed rookie Roman Anthony also to an 8 yr. deal but for $130M
In Brewers case, they signed Chourio before he played any games at MLB level. In Boston, they waited to see Anthony play in 46 games before signing him long term. He slashed .276/.392/.417 in two months ..which raised his price tag on his extension. So the Brewers saved nearly $50 M on their Chourio deal by taking a risk .

As the article above stated, the Brewers with a smaller payroll can take that $50 M to sign other arb players and others. Pretty significant dollar amount. It's how much risk the POBO wishes to take. Brewers GM Matt Arnold rolled the dice and bought out his two years of Chourio's free agency and looks like quite the steal .
For those less willing to risk a deal like that , it would be 'Oh, no .. think if we had signed Jordan Walker to a deal like that . Boy, would that look bad right now. Very true and good point ! So the next question becomes , because Jordan didn't make it big early should that have you shy away from ever offering a Chourio deal to another guy in your system. Would that make you gun shy to ever be bold ?
As you can see with the Anthony deal , just to see Anthony play 46 games this year , it in effect cost them $50 M more than the Brewers paid Chourio who signed him long term prior to spring training and rookie season .
A poster on CT said I would wait til JJ has 3 years under his belt . On the plus side , you would have quite the body of work and stats on his hopeful success. On the negative side, if JJ has 3 very good years the $$$ it would cost to sign him long term would be huge. Certainly a ton more than the $10 M per year the Brewers are shelling out for Chourio for 8 years with them.

So whether you are more a risk taker ala Brewers Matt Arnold , 2024 MLB Executive of the Year, and somewhat like Red Sox in signing Anthony , do you think Bloom may pull off something similar. It's happened twice now two years back to back with Brewers and Red Sox ?
It's an interesting question . With a smaller payroll to work with, a risk with Wetherholt could be a great deal. Likewise , if he doesn't play like a Chourio or close to it , it could be a bad deal as well.
There are two ways to look at the question posed . One way is ... If it was ME , I would or would not sign JJ long term early and another way may be I would not do it but I think Bloom may take the risk. Guess a 3rd option is ' I would lock up JJ but don't think Bloom will do it . Your thoughts

[bccardsfan]

Possibly, but only after he has produced in the bigs for at least a season. You have to see how he does before you even consider such a proposition. Bloom is the not the one making the decision..... Ownership is tanking on spending, and if there is a labor stoppage.... You won't see any long-term deals by this team until there is an agreement with the union and some certainty about baseball being played.

[ramfandan]

Possibly, but only after he has produced in the bigs for at least a season. You have to see how he does before you even consider such a proposition. Bloom is the not the one making the decision..... Ownership is tanking on spending, and if there is a labor stoppage.... You won't see any long-term deals by this team until there is an agreement with the union and some certainty about baseball being played.

Thanks for your input. As for the no long-term deals by Cardinals due to uncertainty on agreement , the Brewers and Red Sox are certainly aware of a likely lockout in 2027 but were not dissuaded in doing an 8 year contract. Wonder if DeWitt would view the situation differently than those two teams.
I guess Matt Arnold didn't feel he had to see Chourio play his rookie year. It undoubtedly was a bold move .

Chourio , at age 20 in 2024, became the youngest player in MLB history to reach the 20/20 level. He hit 21 HRs and stole 22 bases. He was 3rd place in ROY voting.

[thetank2]

Paul deJong?

[rockondlouie]

I usually want to wait until year three.

But if he turns out to be what we all hope, then "yes" this is the player you absolutely want to lock down.

[Ronnie Dobbs]

I would consider it. And if the Cardinals really think that he is the guy right now, I wouldn't care if they locked him up before taking an MLB at bat. Or if he comes up in August or September and does close to what he's doing in the minors. I know that's extreme, but sometimes you have to take chances.

If you wait a full year and he puts up a year like he is doing this year, you're going to end up paying big time for him. The dude from Boston just set the standard. And you here from a lot of people that JJ is a player who is very confident in his abilities. I don't see him as someone willing to sign some team friendly deal just as insurance in case he isn't as good as he might be. If you wait to long with him and he's the real deal, it's going to cost you.

I'd say about the only thing that might save us is that, at least not now, he's not a big power guy. That seems to be where the big money is. So maybe we could sign him a bit cheaper because of that, but who knows. I just think that the Cardinals should be proactive rather than reactive with him.

[Cusecards]

I usually want to wait until year three.

But if he turns out to be what we all hope, then "yes" this is the player you absolutely want to lock down.

Beat me to it Rock!
In general....teams wait and then will offer a multi year deal to buy-out Arb Years.
JJ has three years of control before that.
Of course...it can happen earlier. I believe the Brewers did so with Chourio?

[Cranny]

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

[ramfandan]

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.

[Jatalk]

Much too big a gamble. Got to prove himself.

[ramfandan]

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

Yes, players do NOT get paid during a lockout EXCEPT for previously agreed signing bonuses or deferred payments. Their regular salaries do not get paid during a work stoppage
If a lockout extends in the regular season, players will not receive their regular salaries.

Of course owners while not paying players also lose revenue streams from ticket sales, broadcast deals, and other sources.

[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..

[bccardsfan]

I am still in the camp of seeing at least half a season or more from JJ in the bigs. Baseball history is littered with "can't miss" prospects who missed. Even if they crushed it in AAA. If he puts up numbers for a few months, then think about signing him. Still, I don't see ownership doing anything until there is labor certainty. We are talking DeWitts here. They are fiscally conservative.

[An Old Friend]

Paul deJong?

What are you asking, specifically?

[ramfandan]

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.

[thetank2]

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.