Market Watch: Matt Holliday “is not going to be an Angel,” per reports
TOWER GROVE — With the teeth-gnashing about the Cy Young Award still in full grind around these parts, baseball’s free agency opened at 11 p.m. St. Louis time Thursday, and Cardinals outfielder Matt Holliday could officially entertain offers from all 30 teams.
No more footsie. They can talk financials.
And, yet, according to reports around the majors, more teams were talking about how they wouldn’t be talking to Holliday than teams prepping to talk with Holliday. It’s early in the process, and if anything we know that the market for a player will change and evolve into and during December’s winter meetings. These are only opening statements, but a couple of them are unexpectedly strong:
- At the owner meetings in Chicago, Los Angeles Angels owner Arte Moreno told FOX Sports.com that Holliday is not on their radar even as free agency opens. Baseball writer Jon Paul Morosi quotes Moreno: “”We are not looking at Holliday at all.”
- The Los Angeles Times had the same comments from Moreno, including this one: “He is not going to be an Angel.” Jason Bay appears to be the Angels’ target. The paper explores the possibility that Moreno’s pursuit of Mark Teixeira — a Scott Boras client — last season may have left the owner looking for an alternative option to chasing another Boras client like Holliday.
- The occasion of Tim Lincecum’s Cy Young Award did have a payoff for the Cardinals after all. Giants GM Brian Sabean told reporters at the Lincecum press conference that he didn’t expect the Giants to have a chance at signing Jason Bay or Holliday. The San Francisco Chronicle’s Henry Schulman had the news up in his blog, and MLB.com also had a look at Sabean’s take on Bay and Holliday likely returning to their teams when all is said and done this winter.
Cy Young kerfuffle aside, ESPN.com’s Keith Law ranks Holliday as the No. 1 free agent available, though it may take “insider” status to follow that link. (FYI, He also ranks Joel Pineiro as the No. 4 free agent available.) … Michael Silverman, of the Boston Herald, lists the free agents on the Boston Red Sox’s wish list, though he has a telling comment about how they may view Holliday. … David Lennon, of Newsday, writes that the New York Mets are expected to go “big-game hunting” and are on a mission to “sign a big-ticket free agent”. The Mets have been linked to both the top starting pitcher in the market (John Lackey) and Holliday, as they need to both fortify their lineup and have left field open. … New York Daily News Mets beat writer Adam Rubin references a team insider who the salary demands of either Bay or Holliday will be attractive to the club. … In his report about Bay declining Red Sox’s offer before the exclusive window for them closed, SI.com Jon Heyman offers a quick list of teams who are looking to add a power bat this winter.
The Cardinals, as we’ve discussed here and has been reported in the paper, are taking a slow-play approach to re-signing Holliday. As of yesterday, they had yet to make a formal offer, according to sources, possibly waiting for the market for the left fielder to become more defined. That may have started with yesterday’s comments.
Big 550 AM sportscaster Mike Claiborne looks back at Manny Ramirez’s free-agent experience last season and wonders if there’s a lesson there for the Cardinals when it comes to courting Holliday.
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Derrick Goold said he was going to Mizzou for capital-J journalism, but after growing up in the Time Zone Baseball Forgot he was really drawn to MU sitting between two major-league cities. Goold joined the Post-Dispatch in 2001 after working for The Times-Picayune and Rocky Mountain News, covering sports from LSU to NHL and every level of baseball in between. 
Almost all of this is good (and some, surprising) news.
Holliday bidding is probably going to be the Cardinals vs. Mets.
No Giants. No Angels. Likely not the Yankees.
And I’m with Claiborne: Mozeliak is playing this right.
I know he’s a Boras guy, so money will probably talk, but I just cannot see Holliday as a NY guy (Mets or Yanks). I know sometimes we read too much into where a player is originally from, and Holliday being from Oklahoma would seem to bode well for the Cards. Seems like Texas or Arizona or Atlanta or Colorado again - if not St Louis - would also be more likely “fits” for Matt than NY. Each of those clubs has shown the willingness to throw some $$$ around in the past.
Hope all the early “too rich for our blood” GM talk about Holliday is not smoke and mirrors in attempts to keep the price low. I also love the way Mo is playing this so far…
Good for Mr. Moreno. I don’t think I’d want to deal with the headache that is Borass, either. I may miss out on some great talent along the way, but the egomaniac can’t represent all the all-stars. Speaking of Borass, I’ve long sensed he’ll steer Holliday to the Mets, just as he did with Beltran, in order to collect the most money from his cut of the salary he negotiates. I also can see the Mets going all out for Holliday as much for publicity purposes as their on-field need for him. Though arguable at the pub, Holliday, Beltran and Francoeur makes for a slightly better OF than Holliday, Rasmus, Ludwick, imo. Plus, adding Lackey would give them a formidable 1-2 pitching punch along with Johan Santana. That would be a pretty big FA splash. As a hater of all NY sports teams, I hope it doesn’t materialize.
Hey JS—hope you’re right, but I wouldn’t put too much stock in Holliday being an Oklahoma native as a big factor in this free agent game. I recall another Oklahoma native who thrived in NY: an outfielder named Mickey Mantle.
After see Holliday play here for a couple of months I noticed a couple things that bother me about him. First, his fielding leaves a lot to be desired (Remember the error in the playoffs). He strikes out a lot for a high average guy. He doesn’t hit as many homer runs as Albert. He doesn’t get on base as often as Albert. So, he really doesn’t deserve Albert type of money. Just a good ballplayer, but not a great ballplayer.
Can you guys just not reference Keith Law in anything…at least for the next week or so…or until he redeems himself in some way…thanks
If the Angels get Bay, you can be sure the Red Sox will be quick to go after Holliday if they aren’t doing so already.
Law leaves Carpenter off his ballot & ranks Pineiro the No. 4 free agent available? He is losing some credibility.
OK, maybe he’s not an angel. But ya got to admit, he’s a sweet guy.