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Matt Holliday

Cardinals Open To Another Spring Signing

By Mark Polishuk | February 13, 2010 at 5:49pm CDT

MLB.com's Matthew Leach reports that St. Louis has between $6MM and $7MM worth of "wiggle room" in their payroll that may have to last the club through the rest of the season.  But, as Leach notes, "the Cardinals aren't holding onto money for a midseason trade as much as they are for an acquisition during camp." 

St. Louis GM John Mozeliak hinted that he may make another move during Spring Training if none of the team's young players step up to adequately fill the Cards' problem areas: "As we move forward and get into spring, we should have a better idea of what that [greatest need] might be. It may be nothing. But it usually is always something and more than something."

Matt Holliday dominated the headlines in St. Louis over the winter, but aside from that major re-signing, the Cardinals were fairly quiet in the offseason; only Brad Penny and possibly Rich Hill could be considered major additions to the club.  As Leach pointed out, however, the Cards have signed two free agents over the last two springs (Kyle Lohse and Dennys Reyes) and are still looking for backup outfielders, a left-handed pinch-hitting option and possibly another reliever or two.

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St. Louis Cardinals Brad Penny Dennys Reyes Kyle Lohse Matt Holliday Rich Hill

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Can Phillies Afford To Re-Sign Jayson Werth?

By Zachary Links | January 22, 2010 at 3:48pm CDT

Phillies GM Ruben Amaro told reporters today that the club may not be able to retain Jayson Werth as they already have $130MM committed to just 14 players for 2011, writes Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer.  His comments came after the press conference to announce the re-signing of Shane Victorino and were unsolicited by the media in attendance.

Amaro wondered aloud if the contracts given to Jason Bay and Matt Holliday would affect Werth's asking price.  Recently, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com wrote that he isn't sure if the Phils could retain Werth for Bay-type money.  Werth had his strongest offensive showing to date in 2009, hitting .268/.373./.506 with a career high 36 homers.

While his .879 OPS in '09 doesn't quite match Bay's walk year OPS of .921, Werth's solid defensive play (6.1 UZR/150) certainly trumps Bay's notoriously weak fielding (-11.2 UZR/150).

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Philadelphia Phillies Jason Bay Jayson Werth Matt Holliday

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Stark On Holliday, Lee, Phillies, Rockies, Cubs

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 22, 2010 at 12:58pm CDT

ESPN.com's Jayson Stark says the Baseball Writers' Association of America needs to establish an award for relief pitchers. He also provides plenty of rumblings from around the league; here they are:

  • Stark hears that the only offers Matt Holliday had in-hand when the Cardinals signed him were one-year deals worth $18MM or so.
  • The Phillies offered Cliff Lee a three-year extension worth $60MM or so before trading for Roy Halladay. It's unclear whether Lee and agent Darek Braunecker formally turned the offer down, but others believe Lee will seek a longer-term deal once he hits the open market after this season.
  • The Phillies are "plenty interested" in Pedro Martinez on a half-season deal similar to the one he signed last year, but one NL club hears that Pedro is looking for a full-season job at "market" dollars.
  • The Phillies have backed off on John Smoltz, who wants to start, but they are interested in Jose Contreras.
  • The Rockies talked actively to the Marlins about Dan Uggla. Now, the Rockies are more intent on free agent options including Miguel Tejada, Orlando Cabrera and Orlando Hudson.
  • They'd also like to bring Jason Giambi back.
  • Scouts who have seen Carlos Delgado play first base in Puerto Rico say the slugger should look for a DH job, since his fielding is suspect.
  • Stark has the impression that the Cubs have set aside their interest in Ben Sheets as they pursue a bench bat and a setup man.
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Chicago Cubs Colorado Rockies Miami Marlins Philadelphia Phillies St. Louis Cardinals Ben Sheets Carlos Delgado Cliff Lee Dan Uggla Jason Giambi John Smoltz Jose Contreras Matt Holliday Miguel Tejada Orlando Cabrera Orlando Hudson Pedro Martinez

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How Did Type A Free Agents Do This Winter?

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 17, 2010 at 6:48pm CDT

You'd think it would be a good thing to be identified as a premium player at your position, but Type A status is more of a curse than a blessing for some free agents. Teams have to give up a top pick to sign Type A free agents who turn down arbitration, and that scares some clubs away. GMs covet high draft picks since they can become cheap, young contributors within a couple years, so there's a league-wide reluctance to hand over top picks for Type A free agents who aren't elite players.

That's not an issue for Mark Teixeira types – teams will want to sign Hall of Fame caliber talent no matter what – but the Elias system doesn't rank players the way front offices do, so the market for some players is limited by their Type A status. Ask Juan Cruz and Orlando Hudson about the effect the Elias Rankings can have on a player's contract.

This year, however, those who declined arbitration don't have reason to regret their decisions. All the Type A free agents below had multiple suitors and all but Billy Wagner signed multi-year deals. This doesn't mean teams are willing to hand over top picks. Instead it's likely an indication that agents are only letting Type As decline arbitration offers if the players are sure to attract lots of interest on the market. 

But players aren't necessarily handcuffed by the Elias rankings. Some, like Justin Duchscherer and Orlando Cabrera, have negotiated clauses into their contracts that forbid their teams from offering arbitration if they're designated Type A free agents.

Here's a complete look at the deals signed by the group of Type A free agents who turned down their teams' offers of arbitration this winter.
  • Matt Holliday signed a seven-year $120MM deal.
  • John Lackey signed a five-year $82.5MM deal.
  • Jason Bay signed a four-year $66MM deal.
  • Chone Figgins signed a four-year $36MM deal. 
  • Jose Valverde signed a two-year $14MM deal.
  • Marco Scutaro signed a two-year $12.5MM deal.
  • Mike Gonzalez signed a two-year $12MM deal. 
  • Billy Wagner signed a one-year $7MM deal.    
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Uncategorized Billy Wagner Chone Figgins Jason Bay John Lackey Jose Valverde Marco Scutaro Matt Holliday Mike Gonzalez

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Odds & Ends: Red Sox, Holliday, Yankees

By Mike Axisa | January 9, 2010 at 12:35pm CDT

Some Saturday links…

  • Red Sox GM Theo Epstein expanded a bit on his "bridge year" comment from the Winter Meetings, writes Dan Duggan of The Boston Herald.
  • FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal tweets that the Players' Union calculates the present day value of Matt Holliday's deal at $113.6MM, or $16.2MM per year. The Cardinals, however, see the present day value as lower because they use a different discount rate. ESPN's Buster Olney has a breakdown of the award based incentives.
  • Chad Jennings of The Journal News has some more utility player candidates for the Yankees.
  • Tommy Rancel at DRaysBay wonders if Franklin Gutierrez's contract extension could be used as a blueprint for a potential B.J. Upton extension.
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Boston Red Sox New York Yankees Seattle Mariners St. Louis Cardinals Tampa Bay Rays B.J. Upton Franklin Gutierrez Matt Holliday

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Cardinals Have $6-7MM Left To Spend

By Mike Axisa | January 8, 2010 at 7:53pm CDT

Now that Matt Holliday's mega-contract is all but official, the Cardinals have approximately $6-7MM left in their budget according to MLB.com's Matthew Leach. The team must now figure out how to allocate those funds, because they still have to address third base and the back of the rotation, plus the bullpen and bench.

"It's a great question and one that I don't know the answer to today," (GM John) Mozeliak said on Thursday when asked what comes next. "[Assistant GM John] Abbamondi, myself, Jeff [Luhnow, scouting director and farm director] and the group will sit down tomorrow. I'll then also get with Tony [La Russa, manager] over the weekend and we'll kind of prioritize what we think, if we had a bullet to use, what would we use it on. Once we get to that point, then we'll look at what's out there and how to use that resource if it's there. We may stand pat. But we'll see." 

As Leach points out, the Cardinals do have in-house options at third (David Freese) and the fifth starter's spot (Jaime Garcia, Mitchell Boggs, Blake Hawksworth), though the bench – particularly a lefty hitter – is an area the team will have to go outside of the organization to upgrade. 

We've seen names like Miguel Tejada, Joe Crede, and Felipe Lopez mentioned as possible fits for the Cardinals in recent weeks.

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St. Louis Cardinals David Freese Felipe Lopez Jaime Garcia Joe Crede Matt Holliday Miguel Tejada Mitchell Boggs

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Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Bay, Holliday, Front Offices

By Mike Axisa | January 8, 2010 at 5:24pm CDT

On this date nine years ago, the A's, Royals, and Devil Rays pulled off a three-team trade that included seven big leaguers. Oakland acquired Johnny Damon, Mark Ellis, and the late Cory Lidle while Kansas City received Angel Berroa, A.J. Hinch, and Roberto Hernandez. Tampa Bay picked up just Ben Grieve. Even though Berroa went on to win the Rookie of the Year Award in 2003, Billy Beane's club walked away as the clear winner of this blockbuster.

Let's take a look at what's being written around the baseball blogosphere as Spring Training inches closer…

  • Fenway Nation thinks the Red Sox made a mistake by not re-signing Jason Bay, and wants to see the club atone for it by trading for Adrian Gonzalez.
  • Simon On Sports interviewed a blogger from each team about their squad's offseason.
  • At Home Plate says the Cardinals overpaid for Matt Holliday not because he isn't worth the money, but because no one else was bidding for his services.
  • Athletics Nation graded the front offices of the last decade.
  • U.S.S. Mariner calls Franklin Gutierrez's contract extension a major bargain, and notes it's similarities to the deal Mike Cameron signed with Seattle a decade ago.
  • DRays Bay wonders if the Rays could use Alfredo Amezaga.
  • Phillies Nation takes a look at some of the cheaper free agent pitching options that could entice the two-time defending NL Champs.
  • Twins Overlook examines the progression of Delmon Young since arriving in Minnesota.
  • River Ave. Blues ranked the $100MM contracts given to position players.
  • More Hardball has some New Year's resolutions for various people and teams in the game.

If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here.

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Baseball Blogs Weigh In Boston Red Sox Minnesota Twins New York Mets Philadelphia Phillies San Diego Padres Seattle Mariners St. Louis Cardinals Tampa Bay Rays Adrian Gonzalez Alfredo Amezaga Delmon Young Franklin Gutierrez Jason Bay Matt Holliday Mike Cameron

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Olney On Holliday, Valverde, Cust, Branyan

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 8, 2010 at 9:27am CDT

ESPN.com's Buster Olney argues that baseball writers shouldn't decide who makes it into the Hall of Fame. After explaining why he'd prefer to see the Hall of Fame appoint its own panel, Olney turns up some rumors from around the league. Here they are:

  • One MLB official says the Matt Holliday deal may end up as "one of the worst deals in major league history" because the Cardinals were apparently bidding against themselves.
  • Olney hears from negotiators who believe the Cards should have lowered their offer considerably once the Mets signed Jason Bay.
  • Jose Valverde is asking for $8MM per season and wants to be a closer. As Olney points out, the Pirates and Marlins are not likely to match Valverde's asking price unless he lowers it. The Tigers have been cost-conscious this offseason, but they could use an accomplished reliever.
  • Olney says it's clear that Billy Beane and the A's value Jack Cust "in a way that many other teams do not."
  • Executives around the league are concerned about Russell Branyan's back. The 34-year-old slugged 31 homers last year, though he didn't play after August.
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Detroit Tigers Miami Marlins Oakland Athletics Pittsburgh Pirates St. Louis Cardinals Jack Cust Jose Valverde Matt Holliday Russell Branyan

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Matt Holliday Signs With Cardinals

By Tim Dierkes | January 7, 2010 at 3:12pm CDT

Matt Holliday has officially signed what will surely be the biggest contract of the 2009-10 offseason. It's a seven-year, $120MM deal with a full no-trade clause. Holliday's vesting option for 2017 would be worth $17MM if he finishes in the top-10 in MVP voting in 2016; if the option doesn't vest, the Cards will owe Holliday a $1MM buyout. 

ESPN's Buster Olney wrote Monday that the two sides were close to a possible seven-year deal and SI.com's Jon Heyman first reported that the Cardinals and Holliday had agreed to a deal. Heyman (via Twitter) and Matthew Leach of MLB.com delivered the specifics later. 

Holliday, who will keep getting paid under this contract until he's 49, will be 36 in the last guaranteed year of the deal. By comparison, Jason Bay will be 34 in the last year of his deal, one that guarantees him $54MM less than the one Holliday signed.

Holliday falls short of the $18MM average salary he reportedly sought, but this contract is a huge win for Boras given the lack of competition. Click here to check out others' reactions to the deal.

Ben Nicholson-Smith contributed to this post.

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St. Louis Cardinals Transactions Matt Holliday

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Rosenthal On Bell, Tejada, Holliday, Ankiel

By Tim Dierkes | January 7, 2010 at 12:45pm CDT

The latest from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports…

  • Three or four teams are interested in Padres closer Heath Bell, but the team isn't really looking to move him.  Rosenthal sees Bell getting just $3-4MM in his second arbitration year; that seems light to me.
  • Rosenthal reminds us that the Rockies are eyeing Robb Quinlan and Fernando Tatis as bench candidates.  He wonders, though, if the Rockies, Cardinals, A's, and Cubs could find starting infielders at bargain prices as the offseason wears on.  Rosenthal says Miguel Tejada is looking for two years and $16MM; I can't think of a team that would come close to that.
  • The Cardinals believed Scott Boras might've taken Matt Holliday elsewhere on a one-year deal, though a rival executive believes that was unlikely.
  • The Pirates' interest in Rick Ankiel is obvious – Frank Coonelly has said as much in multiple chats with fans.  A couple of Rosenthal sources were divided on the Bucs' chances of signing Ankiel, who would play right field for them.  The only other known suitor is the Royals.
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Colorado Rockies Pittsburgh Pirates San Diego Padres St. Louis Cardinals Fernando Tatis Heath Bell Matt Holliday Miguel Tejada Rick Ankiel Robb Quinlan

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