Update: HOLLIDAY A CARD 7yr/120 million, p178

[Radbird]

Some trades just don't pan out. Things don't always go as planned. We may have totally missed how good Haren was, but the Braves totally missed how good Wainwright was.

Good point. Is there as much angst among Braves fans over the Drew trade as we have over the Mulder deal?

[Cronos]

Nady strikes me as a classic "buy low and hope he has a career year" (or the year he had with the Pirates).

Batting in front of Pujols could help him.

[Michael]

I think the fact that Boras is his agent and the rockies trading him communicates a lot about his priorities. Also, I doubt he has huge emotional ties to a team be played a few months for. He's going to ask for max dollars from a competitive team.

I was under the impression he wouldn't sign with the Rockies not because of the years/dollars (iirc 4/72) but because they wouldn't guarantee a NTC.

that could have all been made up though.

Boras has used the excuses for years so they don't have to "claim it's about the money".

I'm not saying we don't have a shot, or won't get a slight discount, but he clearly wants to get paid.

[cards2468]

We've seen our fair share of big name free agents which the Cardinals expressed interest in, end up signing else-where... typically with one of the big players. To have doubt is perfectly natural.

We've also seen the Cardinals retain McGwire, Rolen, Edmonds and Pujols. That trend shows that the Cards are very, very good at retaining top talent.

Sure, Benes got away on a shenanigan orchestrated by the scum Boras. That little game works only once, and Bore-us has already played that card here.

All 4 of those guys made it pretty clear that they wanted to stay here. The closest comparison I can get to re-signing Holliday is the fiasco we went through with trying to re-sign Renteria.

[Socnorb11]

Cardinals GM John Mozeliak indicated Tuesday that the Cardinals will not purse outfielder Jason Bay, even if they miss out on Matt Holliday.
"We'll see how the market develops," Mozeliak said. "Is (Bay) a possibility? Sure. But right now it's fair to say he's not one of our top priorities." The Cardinals are reportedly intrigued by free agent Xavier Nady and would rather spend major cash on bolstering their infield and starting rotation if Matt Holliday moves on. Bay is drawing heavy interest from the Red Sox and Mets.
Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Related: Cardinals

Good.

[Eephus Speed]

Lackey, who is believed to be seeking a deal in the $100-million range

If he hadn't missed a good deal of time in each of the last 2 seasons, perhaps that would make sense. You might as well sign Harden for a lot less.

Figgins, who could command a deal in the $50-million range

5 years? Maybe if he was several years younger.

[JL21]

You know what cracks me up about that P-D article?

The club's stance regarding Bay contradicts a popular perception that the ex-Pittsburgh Pirates and Boston Red Sox left fielder offered an obvious, less expensive fallback to Holliday while illustrating a shift in how the club evaluates talent. The Cardinals long coveted Bay, then with the Pirates, during Walt Jocketty's tenure as general manager. But Jocketty's ouster ushered in greater reliance on quantitative analysis, which in many cases trumps scouting.

Bay's offensive numbers parallel Holliday's in the last five seasons, but numerous defensive "metrics" insist Bay is far inferior defensively.

Not that I disagree- Bay's defensive metrics place him as one of the worst LFers in the game with the glove. But that type of thing isn't stopping the Red Sox from being the favorite to sign him. And the Sox do quantitative analysis as well as anyone out there. I think it's a situation where Strauss is reading more into Mo's comments than there is to read into it.

[Radbird]

Even if it's there, Mo is not going to admit to interest in Bay while pursuing Holliday.

[Eephus Speed]

Cardinals GM John Mozeliak indicated Tuesday that the Cardinals will not purse outfielder Jason Bay, even if they miss out on Matt Holliday.
"We'll see how the market develops," Mozeliak said. "Is (Bay) a possibility? Sure. But right now it's fair to say he's not one of our top priorities." The Cardinals are reportedly intrigued by free agent Xavier Nadyand would rather spend major cash on bolstering their infield and starting rotation if Matt Holliday moves on. Bay is drawing heavy interest from the Red Sox and Mets.
Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Related: Cardinals

Good.

I liked the Bay part. But then I read the part in bold font. Please no Nady.

Bolstering the infield? Not through free agency, I hope.

[TimeForGuinness]

You know what cracks me up about that P-D article?

The club's stance regarding Bay contradicts a popular perception that the ex-Pittsburgh Pirates and Boston Red Sox left fielder offered an obvious, less expensive fallback to Holliday while illustrating a shift in how the club evaluates talent. The Cardinals long coveted Bay, then with the Pirates, during Walt Jocketty's tenure as general manager. But Jocketty's ouster ushered in greater reliance on quantitative analysis, which in many cases trumps scouting.

Bay's offensive numbers parallel Holliday's in the last five seasons, but numerous defensive "metrics" insist Bay is far inferior defensively.

Not that I disagree- Bay's defensive metrics place him as one of the worst LFers in the game with the glove. But that type of thing isn't stopping the Red Sox from being the favorite to sign him. And the Sox do quantitative analysis as well as anyone out there. I think it's a situation where Strauss is reading more into Mo's comments than there is to read into it.

Yea, that's a head scratcher...but then again, it's Strauss