3 Pre-Arbitration Players Cardinals Should Extend Right Now

The long-term deals that the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago White Sox gave pitchers Freddy Peralta and Aaron Bummer, respectively, appear to be contracts that could end up starting a trend among MLB GMs in order to get star players signed long-term at a much younger age.

The long-term deals Freddy Peralta and Aaron Bummer signed this week are no anomalies. Teams across baseball are trying to lock up pre-arbitration players to multi-year contracts that buy out free agent years, per sources. There could be a rash of such deals in the coming weeks.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 26, 2020

The St. Louis Cardinals have plenty of incredibly productive young players who have already proven they can get it done in the majors, which means they could be next in line for a pre-arbitration contract extension.

3. 3B Tommy Edman

St Louis Cardinals infielder Tommy Edman / Michael Reaves/Getty Images

We only saw 92 games of Edman last season, but he showed that he is on track to be a star in short order. Edman hit .304 while piling up 3.8 WAR thanks to some excellent defense at third and second base. Destined to hold down the hot corner for St. Louis this season, Edman is expected to show off more of his power this season, which could raise his price even higher when it comes time for a new deal.

2. SP Dakota Hudson

St Louis Cardinals righty Dakota Hudson / Jamie Squire/Getty Images

We saw Hudson emerge as a reliever in 2018, but he proved that he is best served as a starter last season, as he went 16-7 with a 3.35 ERA and finished fifth in NL Rookie of the Year voting. The 6-5 hurler is just 25, and he could make the leap from good to great this season, given his almost unhittable stuff. Hudson does need to work on his control, however, as he led the NL in walks last season.

1. SP Jack Flaherty

St Louis Cardinals starter Jack Flaherty / Michael Reaves/Getty Images

The Cardinals are not ones to give out ridiculous contracts, but they will certainly need to back up the Brinks truck for Flaherty. At just 23 years old, Flaherty was the No. 1 starter on an NLCS team. His 2.75 ERA was impressive enough, but his 0.96 WHIP and 6.2 hits per nine innings were both the lowest in the senior circuit. Flaherty is a legitimate workhorse at age 24, and his next big contract could be among the priciest pitching deals we've ever seen across all of baseball. Best to get it done now and sign him for what could be a vastly discounted price.