Cardinals should sign Masyn Winn to a Ronald Acuña Jr. contract while they still can

With the St. Louis Cardinals seemingly back to their winning ways, things are looking up.

After starting the season 15-24 and falling to last place in the NL Central, the Cardinals have won 25 of their last 38 games and own the best record in the National League since May 12.

One of the main reasons for the Cardinals' resurgence has been young shortstop Masyn Winn, who is making some noise in the race for National League Rookie of the Year. He has arguably been St. Louis' most impactful player, as he owns a .298 average and a .774 OPS.

Earlier this week, Ben Frederickson of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch proposed the idea of giving Winn a contract extension, similar to what the Atlanta Braves did with Ronald Acuna Jr. and several of their other stars.

Cardinals' insider proposes possible extension for Masyn Winn

Frederickson may be onto something here. It would make sense for the Cardinals to try and lock up Winn while he's young, ensuring that he will be the player they build around in the future.

The time has come for the Cardinals to stop trying to build around guys like Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado. While still impactful players, they are not the franchise cornerstones they were expected to be this year.

Winn on the other hand will be around for several more years, as he is still a rising star. The 22-year-old has performed well this season and is somebody the Cardinals should consider a big piece for their future.

The youth movement is on in St. Louis, and the club is transitioning into a new era of Cardinals baseball. Players like Winn, Brendan Donovan, Jordan Walker, and Nolan Gorman will be the ones to lead the Cardinals into the future. Extending Winn now would make sense while they can still lock him up at a good price and ensure that he'll become a fixture in a Cardinals uniform.

Winn has emerged as the Cardinals' leadoff man and is also providing a spark on the defensive side, showing off his cannon of an arm and making some truly incredible plays at shortstop.

The Cardinals are going to want to have him around for years to come as the next generation of stars graces the franchise. We'll see if they ultimately decide to give Winn a contract extension and make him the next face of the franchise.