Misc Rumor - Baseball Wiretap

JJ Wetherholt and the St. Louis Cardinals have agreed to an eight-year, $112.5 million contract extension. The deal secures one of the largest guarantees in franchise history for the National League Rookie of the Year favorite.

Wetherholt, the Cardinals' first-round pick in 2024, quickly advanced through the farm system and earned an Opening Day roster spot this season. The 23-year-old left-handed hitter ranks eighth among all position players in FanGraphs wins above replacement, splitting time mainly at second base while also playing shortstop.

Wetherholt and the Cardinals discussed an extension during spring training but could not finalize terms at the time. Fellow rookie shortstops Kevin McGonigle, Konnor Griffin, Colt Emerson and Cooper Pratt all signed extensions in the interim, establishing a framework Wetherholt later followed.

Unlike those four players, Wetherholt attended college, giving his contract a different structure. The deal contains no club options, runs from 2027 through 2034, and includes performance bonuses that could push its total value to $132 million. It buys out three years of free agency, with Wetherholt reaching the open market just after turning 32.

The extension marks another step in St. Louis' willingness to increase spending after several seasons of payroll reduction. Wetherholt is batting .267 with a .362 on-base percentage and .411 slugging percentage this season, pairing strong defense at second base with elite baserunning.

The contract's length and value closely mirror the seven-year, $100 million deal Albert Pujols signed with the Cardinals in 2004. Wetherholt slipped to St. Louis at seventh overall in the 2024 draft after Cleveland considered him with the No. 1 pick, then signed for $6.9 million following three seasons at West Virginia.

Wetherholt becomes the first player under contract for the Cardinals in 2027. Before this extension, the team's only committed 2027 payroll was $13 million owed to Boston to cover the contracts of Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras.

The Chicago White Sox remain undecided among three players for the No. 1 overall pick in Saturday's MLB draft, according to vice president of amateur scouting Mike Shirley.

UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky, Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey and Texas high school shortstop Grady Emerson are the finalists under consideration, Shirley said Wednesday.

"It's still a bit of an open book, but I think we all know who the candidates are here, and we're working extremely hard," said Shirley. "The Cholowsky/Emerson conversation, the Vahn Lackey conversation, these are real. They are happening. They're happening up to the minute."

Shirley outlined strengths for each prospect. Emerson has significantly closed the gap on Cholowsky during his senior year of high school, while Cholowsky maintained his standing during his junior college season, batting .320 with 21 home runs. Lackey, meanwhile, profiles as a potential elite defensive catcher.

"It's not about what they are today," said Shirley. "It's about what they're going to be two to three years from now when they show up here at the major league level."

Shirley echoed general manager Chris Getz's approach to the selection process, emphasizing that talent alone will determine the pick.

"It's not about the major league team. It's not about the money," said Shirley. "It's about who is the best player."

The team is also disregarding potential future changes to the league's draft rules, including a proposal that could eliminate high school players from future drafts.

Shirley acknowledged growing concerns around NIL money influencing player decisions, noting some prospects are forgoing the draft entirely to remain in college.

"I think Roch Cholowsky turned down a substantial amount of money to leave UCLA last year," said Shirley. "If you don't think the players are being offered a lot of money to leave, it's real."

Chicago enters Saturday's draft in first place, a dramatic turnaround following three consecutive 100-loss seasons, including an MLB-record 121 losses in 2024.

Justin Verlander announced Wednesday that he will retire following the 2026 season, closing out a 21-year career with the Detroit Tigers, the organization where he began his journey to a likely Hall of Fame induction.

"This season has challenged me in ways I haven't experienced before, both physically and mentally," wrote Verlander in a social media statement. "I've always believed that as long as I could compete at the level I expect of myself, I'd keep playing. I never wanted to retire because of a milestone, a number, or a date on the calendar. I wanted the game to tell me when it was time.

"Over the last several months, I've realized that time has come. While I'm fully committed to giving my team everything I have for the rest of this season, I've decided this will be my last."

Verlander, the 2011 American League MVP and a two-time World Series champion, also earned his 10th All-Star selection Wednesday as a "Legend Pick" from commissioner Rob Manfred. The three-time Cy Young Award winner signed a one-year, $13 million contract with Detroit this offseason, returning to the franchise where he spent his first 13 major league seasons.

Injuries have limited Verlander to just one start this year. The right-hander landed on the 60-day injured list with a left hip issue before later suffering a left hamstring injury in June that further delayed his return.

"It's fitting that I get to finish where it all started, with the Detroit Tigers, the organization that drafted me and gave me my first opportunity," wrote Verlander. "Baseball has given me more than I could have imagined. It taught me discipline, resilience, and the value of continuing to adapt and evolve."

Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said the hamstring injury would sideline Verlander for an extended period. According to the team's latest medical update, Verlander is playing catch and completing daily rehab work, though he has not yet resumed throwing off a mound.

Verlander currently has a 266-159 career record and a 3.33 ERA across 21 seasons.

The Milwaukee Brewers promoted outfield prospect Luis Lara to the major leagues Tuesday, roughly a month after he agreed to a seven-year, $31 million contract extension.

Milwaukee made the announcement ahead of a doubleheader against the St. Louis Cardinals, optioning outfielder Blake Perkins to Triple-A Nashville to clear a roster spot, according to the team.

Lara, 21, signed his extension last month while still competing for Nashville. The deal runs through 2032 and includes club options covering 2033 through 2035.

The Venezuelan outfielder, listed at 5-foot-7, has built a reputation as an elite defender throughout his minor league career. This season, he has also emerged as a legitimate offensive threat.

Lara batted .321 with a .432 on-base percentage and .470 slugging mark across 78 games with Nashville. He added nine home runs, 42 RBIs and 24 stolen bases during that stretch.

Those numbers represent a sharp improvement from last season, when Lara hit .257 with a .369 on-base percentage over 136 games at Double-A Biloxi.

Lara becomes the second Brewers prospect this year to reach the majors shortly after signing a long-term extension. Shortstop Cooper Pratt debuted June 16, less than three months after agreeing to an eight-year, $50.75 million deal.

Pratt, who turns 22 in August, is batting .204 with two RBIs and six steals through 18 games with Milwaukee. Perkins, meanwhile, was hitting just .157 with one homer and 11 RBIs in 53 games before his demotion.

Dave Roberts became the fastest manager in MLB history to reach 1,000 career wins after the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Athletics 9-3 on Tuesday night.

Roberts is the 69th manager to reach 1,000 wins and the quickest to do it. Roberts achieved his milestone victory in 1,606 games, all but one with the Dodgers.

Cap Anson, the next fastest, needed 1,641 games and won his 1,000th in 1893.

When the last-place New York Mets fired manager Carlos Mendoza last week, a follow-up question inevitably surfaced: Would president of baseball operations David Stearns follow Mendoza out the door? The answer from Mets owner Steve Cohen is an emphatic no.

Cohen told the New York Post on Wednesday that he is not considering dismissing Stearns, who is in the third year of a five-year contract, despite a second straight disappointing season.

"We'll figure out what changes that need to be made," Cohen said. "But the change that's not gonna be made is moving David out at this point. I'm just not gonna do it."

Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani will skip his scheduled pitching start Wednesday against the Athletics to get some extra rest, manager Dave Roberts said.

The Dodgers are in the midst of playing 13 games in 13 days, and Roberts said he wanted to make sure that the Japanese sensation got a break. Ohtani is slated to pitch in San Diego on Friday.

The Yankees' losing streak reached a season-long six games in a 9-3 loss to the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday night with a blueprint that has become maddeningly familiar: falling behind big early as the short-handed offense sputters.

This time, in a showdown between two of the best starting pitchers in the majors, the Tigers tallied four runs on three homers with two outs in the first inning off Cam Schlittler, who logged the worst start of his All-Star-caliber season. On the other side, Tarik Skubal recorded his best start since returning from his unprecedented elbow surgery earlier this month, holding the Yankees to two runs (one earned) on one hit with nine strikeouts over six innings.

"This week's been rough," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. "There's no sugarcoating it."

Kyle Schwarber became the first major leaguer to reach 30 homers this season with a two-run shot in the seventh inning that sent the Philadelphia Phillies to a 5-4 win over the New York Mets on Sunday.

The Phillies squandered an early 3-0 lead and fell behind 4-3 before Schwarber hit a 408-foot drive to center field off Kodai Senga (0-7), who was making the first regular-season relief appearance of his big league career.

John Mozeliak has a lengthy to-do list as interim general manager for the Los Angeles Angels, but the hiring of a new manager to replace Kurt Suzuki is not among his priorities.

"I met with Kurt and most of (the coaches) this morning, and I told them they're all fine for this year," Mozeliak, the former St. Louis Cardinals' baseball operations head, said at a news conference before Saturday night's game against the Athletics.

"There's nothing they have to worry about. ... They all have jobs moving forward. There's no reason for massive change right away."