Cardinals Phenom Ready For Commitment Following Impressive Start To Career

St. Louis hit the jackpot with the talented infielder

Aug 28, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn (0) fields a ground ball against the San Diego Padres during the eighth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images / Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals 2024 season will go down as another one to forget but that doesn't mean there weren't any positives to take away from it.

For instance, Cardinals fans witnessed the breakout seasons of designated hitter Alec Burleson and center fielder Michael Siani, who will miss out on winning a Gold Glove award on a count of technicality.

Of all the young St. Louis players who had great seasons, a flamethrowing infielder stole the show and might have solidified his position for years to come.

"While Gray has remained St. Louis’ best starting pitcher, Winn has emerged as the Cardinals’ most reliable position player — partly the result of his excellent first full season in the majors and partly the result of injuries to Willson Contreras and underperformance from Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt," The Athletic's Tim Britton wrote Tuesday when discussing updated power rankings.

The 22-year-old is batting .273 with 42 extra-base hits including 12 home runs, 49 RBIs and a .728 OPS in 134 games played for the Cardinals in 2024.

"Winn has avoided the deep slumps that often hinder rookies and produced at above a league-average clip with the bat while bringing Gold Glove-caliber defense at shortstop. In a season that has again posed questions about the long-term direction in St. Louis, there are zero queries about who’s playing short for the next decade," Britton continued.

The National League Rookie of the Year candidate doesn't become a free agent until 2030 but given that Winn looks to be a franchise shortstop, the Cardinals should sign him through his arbitration years -- providing the young star with commitment and job security from his team.

The Boston Red Sox recently did such a thing with utility man Ceddanne Rafaela. To avoid going through arbitration every year, Boston signed him through 2031 with a club option the following year -- he's only a 23-year-old rookie.

It's safe to say that Winn is a valuable asset that needs to be protected. Signing him through for the next few years wouldn't be such a bad idea.

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