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Cardinals Rumors: Holliday, DeRosa, Tejada

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The Cardinals' offseason plans hinge on Matt Holliday, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Joe Strauss and Derrick Goold. In their latest articles, each writer explains how the Cardinals' pursuit of Holliday will affect the rest of the team's offseason.

Goold notes that if the team fails to sign Holliday, it could free up some money to fill out the starting rotation. Conversely, if they are able to ink Holliday to a deal, their rotation solution will likely be an in-house player rather than a free agent. The team is set with Chris Carpenter, Adam Wainwright, Brad Penny, and Kyle Lohse as its top four, but will be searching for a fifth starter. Although the Cards are "out of the bidding" for Joel Pineiro, the team could pursue another mid-level starter if the Holliday money is available.

Meanwhile, Strauss writes that the more time the Cardinals spend going after Holliday, the greater chance there is that Mark DeRosa slips away. The Cardinals probably view DeRosa as a Plan B after Holliday, but with plenty of other teams interested, DeRosa may have signed elsewhere by the time Holliday makes a decision.

Strauss' article also mentions that Tony La Russa has interest in Miguel Tejada as a possible option for the left side of the infield.

Cardinals Sign Brad Penny

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WEDNESDAY, 3:58am: Penny has passed his physical, according to an AP release, making the deal official.

TUESDAY, 10:11am: Yahoo's Tim Brown tweets that Penny will get the full $9MM if he reaches 204 innings.  Also, the Cardinals agreed not to offer arbitration if Penny is a Type A free agent (a clause I'm betting will be popular this year).

5:32am: ESPN's Keith Law calls the deal "an excellent move" for the Cardinals, citing Dave Duncan's track record with reclamation projects. He also opines that this deal will probably raise the asking price for names like Ben Sheets, Rich Harden, Erik Bedard, and Justin Duchscherer.

MONDAY, 6:27pm: ESPN's Buster Olney tweets that a physical is scheduled for Tuesday, and Penny will get a one-year, $7.5MM deal with another $1.5MM in incentives.  Pretty big base salary.

5:45pm: Goold wrote earlier today that a "person with knowledge of the deal" says it could be worth $9MM if all incentives are reached.  Meanwhile, Baggarly has details on the Giants' failed negotiations to retain Penny.

3:14pm: Strauss tweets that the Giants have all but acknowledged Penny is gone, and the Cardinals just need to complete the physical (the money is in place).  Strauss believes the Cards are still in the market for more starting pitching and wonders if they're close to their breaking point with Matt Holliday.

2:32pm: Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says the Cardinals are the frontrunner for Penny but the Giants and another team remain in talks for him.  Rosenthal feels that John Smoltz will have to go elsewhere if the Cards sign Penny.  Derrick Goold of the P-D weighs in, suggesting the Cards might be close to a deal.

1:19pm: ESPN's Buster Olney says Penny is close to a decision, and is in serious negotiations with the Cards.  The Giants are apparently still in the mix.

1:05pm: Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch tweets that buzz says the Cardinals are "in heavy" on Penny.  Strauss adds that the Cardinals denied anything final with Penny, though Baggarly didn't suggest a deal was done.

12:48pm: The Cardinals are nearing a deal with Brad Penny, tweets Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News.  He says the Giants "don't expect to compete."  Penny, 31, made 30 starts between the Red Sox and Giants this year, posting a 4.88 ERA, 5.7 K/9, and 2.6 BB/9.  He's the hardest-throwing free agent starter, and would be interesting in St. Louis on a one-year deal.

Odds & Ends: Unit, Rhodes, Crisp, Valverde

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More links for the evening…

Odds & Ends: Mora, Figgins, Tejada, Rangers

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Links for Day 2 of the Winter Meetings, which are taking place in Indianapolis…

  • Add Robb Quinlan to the list of utility men on the Rockies' radar, according to Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post.  Tracy Ringolsby of FOX Sports names Melvin Mora as another target.  MLB.com's Lyle Spencer tweets of interest from the Twins in Quinlan.
  • The Mariners' deal for Chone Figgins is official, tweets the Brock & Salk show. The team press release notes it's a four-year deal with an option for 2014.
  • Cardinals manager Tony La Russa acknowledged interest in Miguel Tejada, talking to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.  By the way, Astros GM Ed Wade is certain he won't re-sign Tejada, tweets Alyson Footer.  Tejada apparently wants multiple years.
  • MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan says the Rangers are considering free agent catchers such as Rod Barajas, Jason Kendall, Yorvit Torrealba, and Jose Molina.
  • WEEI's Alex Speier passes along Scott Boras' comments from an XM Radio appearance.  Boras discussed Matt Holliday, Johnny Damon, Ivan Rodriguez, and Adrian Beltre. 
  • The Brewers are discussing relievers Kevin Gregg and Mike Gonzalez at least internally, writes MLB.com's Adam McCalvy.  The Crew recently lost reliever Mark DiFelice for the 2010 season.  Gonzalez would cost good money and the Brewers' second-round pick (currently #50).
  • Yahoo's Kevin Kaduk asks whether Twitter is helping or hurting the Winter Meetings.  My opinion: hurting.  The information crush was tolerable when reporters all got blogs a few years back, but now it's excessive.  Of course, we're not helping.
  • Jamey Carroll would love to play for the Reds but hasn't received an offer yet, writes MLB.com's Mark Sheldon.
  • The D'Backs offered Chris Snyder to the Rangers for C.J. Wilson and were turned down, reports MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan.  Wilson tweets that he's "borderline offended" by Arizona's offer.
  • The Pirates have had further talks with free agent hurler Justin Duchscherer, says Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but don't expect him to sign soon.  We learned yesterday that the Rockies have cooled on Duchscherer.  Kovacevic also reports that despite scouting Aroldis Chapman, the Pirates are not a player for him.  ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr. indicates that Chapman will be showcased in Houston later this month.
  • The Rays and White Sox discussed a Carlos Quentin–Carl Crawford trade, says Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times.  Manager Ozzie Guillen implies that nothing is cooking on that front though.  The two clubs also discussed closer Bobby Jenks, but the Rays did not like the asking price.
  • Angels GM Tony Reagins admitted to interest in Hideki Matsui, reports Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times.  Keep in mind, though that the Japanese press is apparently grilling every GM on Matsui.  Reagins also said he hasn't ruled out re-signing Vladimir Guerrero.
  • Carl Pavano explained his decision to accept arbitration from the Twins, in an email to Kelsie Smith of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.  La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune suggests retaining Pavano makes Glen Perkins expendable.
  • The Rangers are not interested in trading for Pirates catcher Ryan Doumit, reports MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch.

Cards Meet With Boras, No Offer For Holliday

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Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes that Cardinals GM John Mozeliak and Scott Boras met for 90 minutes on Sunday night, but the meeting "failed to produce" a formal contract offer for Matt Holliday.

Mozeliak stresses that the club's recent agreement with Brad Penny should not be seen as a sign that the Cardinals are giving up their pursuit of Holliday. However, the general manager did concede to the fact that there is a "gulf" between the Cardinals and Boras.

For now, the Cardinals will look at anywhere from three to five alternatives to Holliday as they wait, including retaining Mark DeRosa. The Cards don't plan to wait around forever though. Says Mozeliak:

"I think we will be patient with Holliday to start… But we're not going to take this deep into the winter. In fairness, they need to get clarity where other clubs see this going."

Mozeliak described the talks as preliminary, but as Strauss points out, chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. attended, which could signal that finances were discussed. For the time being, the Cardinals can wait for the market for Holliday to develop more. However, given that Mozeliak has said one alternative to Holliday will be to focus more on pitching, it seems like they can't wait around too long, or all of their best options will be off the table.

Holliday & Pineiro Turn Down Arbitration

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Matt Holliday and Joel Pineiro turned down arbitration offers from the Cardinals, as expected, according to the team's Twitter account. Mark DeRosa did the same earlier tonight.

Holliday will net the Cards a pair of top picks if he signs elsewhere; DeRosa and Pineiro could each net the Cards a sandwich round selection.

Mark DeRosa To Turn Down Arbitration

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Mark DeRosa will turn down the Cardinals' offer of arbitration, according to MLB.com's Matthew Leach. The utilityman seeks a multi-year deal worth $27MM or so, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney, so the decision is hardly a surprise.

DeRosa is still interested in returning to the Cardinals and his representatives will meet with team brass tomorrow. If the 34-year-old signs elsewhere, the Cards pick up a supplemental round pick in next year's draft, since DeRosa is a Type B free agent.

Odds & Ends: Reed Johnson, Laynce Nix, Counsell

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Links for Monday, the first day of the Winter Meetings in Indianapolis…

Cardinals Notes: Boras Meeting, Holliday Alternatives

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Joe Strauss from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch discusses the Cardinals and their current situation with free agent Matt Holliday. Let's dive in:

  • The Cardinals are pushing for a meeting with Scott Boras at the Winter Meetings to discuss whether or not they have a legitimate chance to bring Holliday back to St. Louis.
  • If they were to retain Holliday, the club would be content to give David Freese his shot at third base and spend its leftover money on the rotation rather than infield help.
  • Re-signing Mark DeRosa is one alternative to Holliday in left, although the Cardinals understandably aren't fans of DeRosa's current asking price of three years and roughly $24MM.
  • The Cards had interest in bringing Chone Figgins aboard, prior to his agreement with the Mariners.
  • St. Louis continues to say that they don't have leverage to make trades after parting with a number of top prospects, but Strauss mentions that some teams looking to shed salary could make sense. He names Dan Uggla, Kevin Millwood, and (if he's made available) Brandon Inge as some candidates, though the Marlins are asking a lot in return for Uggla.
  • Strauss also mentions Adam Dunn, who's owed $12MM this season as a good fit, though the Nationals aren't intent on moving him. According to Strauss, several within the Cardinal organization were pushing for Dunn over Holliday last season before the deadline.
  • If the Cards are able to sign Holliday, backloading the contract as they typically do with large deals won't be beneficial as the expensive years will coincide with those of Albert Pujols, if and when he, too, gets a new contract.
  • Strauss names Vicente Padilla and Ben Sheets as possible free agent arms to target.
  • Interesting note on the Cardinals from Strauss; they haven't made a trade at the Winter Meetings since 2003 when they acquired Adam Wainwright, Jason Marquis, and Ray King.

Whatever comes of Holliday, team president Bill DeWitt plans to be active this offseason. Strauss quotes him, "If we don't spend on Holliday, we will spend on other players."

Odds & Ends: Holliday, Phillies, Marquis, Navarro

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Some Saturday morning links…

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