Monday night linkage..
- Daniel Barbarisi of The Providence Journal points out that Boston giving Jason Bay a backloaded contract would do nothing to keep them out of luxury tax territory. Payroll is calculated by totalling the average yearly earnings of a player, not a player's year-to-year salary. However, Barbarisi offers up a number of other ways the Red Sox could retain Bay without getting hammered by the luxury tax.
- Chuck Brownson of The Hardball Times writes that the Cardinals can afford to be patient with Matt Holliday as long as alternatives remain on the open market. Brownson feels that Mark DeRosa signing with the Giants put a little more pressure on St. Louis.
- Brian Bruney told Bill Ladson of MLB.com that he wants to close for the Nationals in 2010. Bruney will have to compete with newly acquired Matt Capps for the role.
