THE WATERCOOLER

QUESTION: You hear much talk among Cardinal fans about players taking a “hometown discount” to play here in St. Louis. Matt Holliday is the centerpiece of “hometown discount” talk right now. In your professional opinion, how much weight do professional ballplayers give to being in a certain town, playing for a certain manager or having a certain kind of locker room chemistry? At the end of the day, doesn’t money do the talking in almost all cases of free agency?

RICK HUMMEL

Rarely does a player not follow the money, and I think you find that true even more in football than in baseball. I think this especially is true in the early stages of a player’s career, when he first can become a free agent, and his agent is hell-bent on getting the best offer. Near the end of that career, if a player hasn’t won before or is comfortable where he is, his attitude may change.

BRYAN BURWELL

Money is going to ultimately decide everything when it comes to any business. But who can blame them, when they have an opportunity to secure the financial future for their family for decades? The hometown discount is a myth. Players want to win and get paid. If they can win and get paid, they will take a little less money. But if they can’t win but they can get paid? Cha-ching.

JEFF GORDON

Every player is different. Some need to find a comfort zone to succeed in. Others, like Reggie Sanders, can move from team to team and do very well at every stop. This can be especially important to pitchers, who live or die with confidence. St. Louis developed a nice pitching atmosphere, which makes it easier to retain key free-agent pitchers. I think St. Louis is a good fit for Albert Pujols, who reigns as king of the clubhouse. As for Matt Holliday, he didn’t choose to come to St. Louis in that deal from Oakland. He seemed like a good fit here, but it’s not like he fell in love with the place. I would be surprised if he didn’t go to the highest bidder.

DAN O’NEILL

There is overwhelming evidence that money is the bottom line. Jeff Weaver is a recent case that underlines that - comes to the Cardinals, has the most success he’s had in years, but takes more money to go elsewhere the following winter. Ultimately you have to hold the players responsible for that, because their names go on the contracts. And I don’t necessarily blame them for that. The loyalty aspect, or lack thereof, works both ways. But most players rely heavily on advice from their agents, so I think a lot depends on the agent. The Cardinals will find out because they are not going to sign either Holliday or Mark DeRosa before they enter the market.