CHICAGO — As prelude to a possible meeting today with agent Scott Boras, Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak insisted Monday the club will not become paralyzed by negotiations with free-agent left fielder Matt Holliday.

"We have to be prepared if we can't sign him," Mozeliak said before attending a Monday night dinner at Major League Baseball's annual general managers' meetings. "We need to have other options to pursue. And we do."

Mozeliak allowed that the team still hopes to retain Holliday, the centerpiece of July's trade for former first-round draft pick Brett Wallace, pitching prospect Clayton Mortensen and minor-league outfielder Shane Peterson. The Cardinals, who retain exclusive negotiating rights with Holliday until Nov. 20, have yet to present an offer to Boras and acknowledge it is virtually certain their former cleanup hitter will reach the open market.

Mozeliak has read Boras' recent comments tying Holliday's market value to the eight-year, $180 million deal first baseman Mark Teixeira commanded from the New York Yankees last winter.

Mozeliak declined to discuss when and what the Cardinals might bid to keep Holliday and insisted, "I'm not letting anything I read become a guideline for how I approach a discussion or a negotiation."

The team has no timetable for negotiations, according to Mozeliak, who believes the upcoming free-agent market will develop slowly. The Cardinals are willing to talk but are reluctant to get involved in a high-price bidding war.

"A lot of people are using the word 'paralysis' for our situation. I don't feel it," Mozeliak said. He said he thought the term was more applicable after the 2007 season when third baseman Scott Rolen demanded a trade, and in 2008 when the club was hamstrung by injuries to pitchers Mark Mulder and Chris Carpenter.

"There are always options," Mozeliak said. "I tend to look at paralysis as when you have so much money tied up in a small group of players who are unavailable to you. That's not the case here."

The Cardinals have other needs. Though they project the return of six starting position players, the club must rebuild its bench and is interested in obtaining a set-up reliever for insurance in the ninth inning as well.

Mozeliak and Boras agree on this much: Holliday is the leading offensive talent in this year's free-agent pool. The Cardinals insist, however, that there are options available to help defend their NL Central crown.

The Cardinals constructed several contingencies during last week's meetings with major-league scouts. Short of signing Holliday, those plans include fortifying the rotation and incremental upgrades through a combination of moves, including a second look at third base, where Mozeliak had projected rookie David Freese as the leading candidate to start next season.

"If something we pursue with Matt falls through, we're certainly going to re-evaluate where we stand," Mozeliak said. "I previously addressed this issue in a very black-and-white scenario, almost as if it were in a vacuum, with all things being equal."

The Cardinals' competition for Holliday remains vague but is certain to include large-market teams. The World Series champion New York Yankees have three free-agent outfielders — Johnny Damon, World Series MVP Hideki Matsui and Xavier Nady — but may retain at least one. New York Mets general manager Omar Minaya said Monday his offseason priority was acquiring an offensive enforcer. The Los Angeles Angels will replace free-agent left fielder Vladimir Guerrero, who earned $15 million last season but is now considered in decline.

The Boston Red Sox are hopeful of retaining their own free-agent left fielder, Jason Bay, but could focus on Holliday if Bay leaves.

The trade that sent three prospects to the Oakland A's for Holliday propelled the Cardinals to their first postseason appearance since 2006. Hitting behind first baseman Albert Pujols, Holliday batted .353 with 13 home runs and 55 RBIs in 63 games. He smacked 24 home runs among 66 extra-base hits while amassing 109 RBIs between his two stops.

Mozeliak said it's unlikely the Cardinals could compensate for Holliday's loss all at once.

"That's what I mean when I say 'sum of the parts,'" he said. "I don't think there's one guy who can make that kind of impact."

Assumptions that the Cardinals would push for Bay should they lose Holliday may be unfounded. Statistically similar over the past five years, Holliday and Bay are perceived much differently by some within the organization. Bay is also older and is considered a lesser defender than Holliday.

The Cardinals hoped Holliday's exposure to a strong fan base and a welcoming clubhouse as well as a return to the postseason would carry weight in deliberations about whether to return. Mozeliak said he hopes to speak face-to-face with Holliday during the process but could not say when that might happen.

Holliday repeatedly told reporters and teammates he enjoyed his 2 1/2-month run in St. Louis but dodged questions about how it might affect his thinking.

Sources close to Holliday maintained he would pursue free agency rather than approach the club about an extension as another Boras client, Kyle Lohse, did in September 2008.