5:53pm: Holliday has issued a statement thanking the organization, his teammates, and the fans for his time with the Cards, via MLB.com’s Jenifer Langosch. He, too, kept the door cracked for a return but acknowledged that this could be the end of his tenure. (The statement, notably, does not seem to indicate whether or not Holliday has decided whether he’ll continue playing.)
“It has been an honor to play in front of such great fans and for such an historic organization,” says Holliday. “I can honestly say it has been a dream come true. While I’m disappointed this could be it here in St. Louis, I understand that it might be time to move on.”
5:38pm: The Cardinals anticipate declining the club’s 2017 option over outfielder Matt Holliday, per GM John Mozeliak, as Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch was among those to report. (Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball noted earlier this week that the Cardinals do not plan to pick up the option.) Holliday will, however, be activated from the DL in the hopes that he can make at least one final appearance before the St. Louis faithful.
That doesn’t necessarily mean that Holliday won’t return, of course, but it’s not really known whether there’s serious interest on either side in negotiating a new contract. That the team appears to be giving the long-time star a sendoff suggests the sides could be preparing for a split, but GM John Mozeliak wasn’t willing to rule out a continuation of what has been a productive relationship.
“Speaking in absolutes and saying there’s no chance of him coming back — I’m not prepared to do that,” said Mozeliak. “We haven’t had our offseason meetings.”
Ulimately, the Cards were never particularly likely to pick up the option for the veteran’s age-37 season at a heavy $17MM salary. But the decision to pay a $1MM buyout instead became clear given Holliday’s middling output and injury troubles down the stretch.
Holliday remains an above-average hitter, though his .242/.318/.450 batting line represents a rather stark falloff in overall productivity from the consistently excellent batting results he logged for most of a dozen prior seasons. With poorly-rated fielding and baserunning added to the uncertainty at the plate, the cost was just too great.
Still, there’s plenty of reason to think that Holliday could remain a useful player — even if a trip to the American League, with frequent or even full-time DH usage, makes the most sense at this stage. Odds are that there would be plenty of organizations with at least some interest in that kind of arrangement, particularly given the high regard in which Holliday is held around baseball.
For the Cards, who say they’re looking to improve on defense, Holliday is something of an odd fit moving forward. If he is willing to accept a reduced role, he might still remain a plenty useful piece by sharing time at first base, appearing occasionally in the corner outfield, and otherwise functioning as a bench bat. But regular playing time probably won’t be on the table, as the team seems lined up to add a replacement or instead to acquire a new center fielder while bumping Randal Grichuk to the corner.
It has been something of an odd final two seasons in St. Louis for Holliday. Both have been limited by injuries, and both have involved very different types of performance issues. Last year, his power disappeared, but he was able to maintain a robust .394 OBP. That mark fell by 76 points in 2016, but he significantly upped his power output (.450 slugging, 19 home runs).
No matter where things go from here, it has been a great run for Holliday with the Cards. In eight years and over 4,000 plate appearances, Holliday carries an outstanding .292/.379/.493 batting line with 155 long balls. Ultimately, he was worth every penny of the seven-year, $120MM contract he signed before the 2010 season.
i thought the cards kept their legends forever.
Ever heard of Albert pujols? Lol
yup, low balling a legend and then cry foul when he left.
I think they secretly held a party when he left?
When was Albert low balled? Must’ve seen an article I missed
I believe the Cards offered Pujos $210 million. That is not a lowball
They didn’t low ball him. And they will be glad he left – he’s fast approaching albatross level. Sometimes, the best moves are the ones that aren’t made.
yeah, more like Angles over paid. though his 146HR’s at the rate of 1/18.6ish since signing the deal isn’t the worst so far.. though unless he starts accepting drinks from the Clemens house.. i doubt it will improve much with age, his back loaded contract… yikes!
#5 was all about the #5$#5 that’s why he couldn’t hit a long all in Cali when he first went it there. STL treated him with the utmost respect. Then BOOM he left for a few bucks more…
*out there Sorry
I understand, but I hate to see Matt Holliday go. He has been a major factor for the recent glory years. Here’s a thought Mo—Holliday would be a fantastic Hitting Coach, and possibly a combination Hitting Coach / bench player for 2017???
Should the angels give him a low risk / high reward contract?
No. The Angels should lock him up through his age-45 season.
That sounds more like an Angels contract. Maybe 12 year 280 mil to take him through his age 49 season?
Thank you Matt! You certainly lived up to your contract, and I wish you the best!
I think he exceeded the expectations of his contract.
Absolutely!
Cardinals don’t keep they’re legends forever. Pujols, Edmonds, freese, etc. But what they do with their legends is honor them when they return. They do that better than any other organization. Holliday will rightfully so get his due.
Does Pujols get honoured? I thought he always gets booed when he goes back to stlouis. I could be wrong though
I don’t think he ha splayed in STL since he left for the Angels.
Oh you’re right Harvey. I must’ve just seen some mad fans on Twitter
Pujols has never returned to St. Louis. He’ll be in cards HOF and wear cards hat in Cooperstown. Only player to get booed in return to St. Louis is heyward because of his comments
5 will never be worn by another Cardinal.
It is time for Matt to move on. He has nothing to be ashamed of. He has been a fine player.
Matt Holliday is a Cardinals legend. As Babe Ruth said in the sandlot “Heroes will be remembered, but legends never die.”
Holliday was good not great in a Cardinals uniform but hes not a legend and never will be
Not to worry… The Angels will give him a huge contract …
One of the few 100+ million contracts that was worth it
Guy was a bum the last two years. He had some of the highest/most PTO it made A-Rod’s deal look good. Trolllollollollo
Well this comes as no surprise to hear from you a Cubs fan lol
Cards will offer to bring him back at about $7million for 1 more year.
He will decline that…..and go play in the AL somewhere (where he can DH a bunch)
not happening
I think he can come back as the 25th man next year, platoon with Moss (if he’s brought back) and play as the 5th outfielder in left occasionally and pinch hit frequently.
The bat is there, and letting him PH, play some 1B and LF for a reasonable price makes a ton of sense on the team next year.
Neither Matt nor Moss with be in Stl. next season.
Still waiting for him to touch home plate
Love the reference, most won’t get it!
Just enjoy Holliday’s last moment as a Cardinal!
Cardinals will go out and get Fowler if he opts out of the Cubs deal or Cespedes! Please don’t go after Reddick! Along with Holliday leaving Moss & Jaime need to go as well!
headline is wrong. cardinals never said he wasn’t coming back. said it wasn’t likely, but door was left open. if holliday does leave for the american league, i would say the astros or rangers. closest to his home in oklahoma.
Matt Holliday was born in Oklahoma , but lives in St. Louis. He has since he resigned with cards. Very active in community here. And he’s done here. They wouldn’t have given him the send off they did if there was much of a chance to resign him for less. Scott Boras is his agent so…..that’s not happening. Holliday has all but said he’s moving on, I’m sure to DH where he still has lots of value. I could see him being top 5 DH next year.