St. Louis Cardinals betting on Kolten Wong with five-year extension
By Tim Haberin
The St. Louis Cardinals hope the best is yet to come for Kolten Wong after inking the second baseman to a five-year extension.
Contract extensions are a popular topic in Major League Baseball at the moment. Pittsburgh Pirates ace Gerrit Cole, hot off a Cy Young-caliber season, has expressed his desire for a more lucrative deal. The Kansas City Royals just rewarded catcher Salvador Perez with a pay raise and might do the same with first baseman Eric Hosmer.
The St. Louis Cardinals handed out an extension of their own on Wednesday, coming to terms with second baseman Kolten Wong on a five-year deal with a sixth-year club option. The contract will keep Wong under team control through at least 2020.
SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo reports that Wong will earn $25.5 million over the course of the deal, along with another $12.5 million if the option is picked up for 2021. Wong would have been eligible for arbitration following the 2016 season, so the extension covers his arbitration years along with as many as two free agency seasons.
In making this commitment to Wong, the Cardinals are placing some faith in his continued development at the big league level. The second baseman will be entering his fourth year in the major leagues in 2016, his second as a full-time player. He has put up solid offensive numbers for a middle infielder, but St. Louis hopes the best is yet to come.
Wong played 113 games in 2014, slashing .249/.292 /.388 with 12 home runs and 42 RBIs. Last year had the early look of a breakout season, as he posted a .310/.365/.473 line with six homers and 23 RBIs in the first two months. Unfortunately, he hit only .239/.300/.343 the rest of the way, finishing the campaign at .262/.321/.386 along with 11 home runs and 61 RBIs.
Despite the struggle-filled second half, Wong’s performance in 2015 was an improvement in most respects over the year before. His 2.2 WAR was good for seventh among National League second basemen. The Cards expect that trend to continue as he progresses through his new contract.
Wong turned 25 in October, so he certainly has youth on his side. He also brings more to the table than just a bat. He stole 35 bases over the past two seasons and has also proven to be a promising defender, accumulating 14 DRS (defensive runs saved) during that same span.
If Wong is to become a more complete player at the plate, he will need to boost his production against left-handers. He’s been markedly better opposite righties in his career, a disparity which was on full display in 2015. Wong’s OPS against right-handers was a whopping .220 points higher than against southpaws last year.
Regardless of what the future holds, the Cardinals will probably end up satisfied with this particular extension. If Wong continues to develop and take steps forward, St. Louis has him under contract for the bulk of his prime years at a very affordable rate. If he fails to put it all together and find consistency, then he’s only on the books for one year longer than if they just let him reach free agency on schedule.
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The Redbirds will have their work cut out for them once again in the tough NL Central, and an improving Wong could be an important piece of the puzzle.