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

[jim]

Endorsment deals for New York are much more substantial than doing the occasional spot on KSDK for Auto Tire, so I'm thinking that much of that COLA stuff pretty much works itself out. All things being equal money wise, I'd have to seriously consider the Yankees over any other team in baseball because I'd seriously want to win a world series, and that's the place to go for that.

[clevername]

The Mets are reportedly now in on Bay. The more interest in Bay the worse things are for our hopes for Holliday.

I'm much more worried about the Red Sox signing Holliday than the Yankees.

[Socnorb11]

The Mets are reportedly now in on Bay. The more interest in Bay the worse things are for our hopes for Holliday.

I'm much more worried about the Red Sox signing Holliday than the Yankees.

And the Giants are officialy out for both of them....... Rotoworld:

Giants general manager Brian Sabean said the Giants won't be in on free agent outfielders Matt Holliday and Jason Bay, FOXSports.com reports.

"They're beyond our limits," Sabean said. "We don't have the wherewithal to pay them the dollars they want." That likely takes at least one team out of the running for two of the offseason's most-coveted bats, but the Red Sox, Mets, Cardinals, Mariners and Yankees are expected to bid on corner outfielders before the winter is done.
Source: FOXSports.com
Related: Jason Bay

Edit: I see it's already been posted.........sorry.

[Faceman]

The Mets are reportedly now in on Bay. The more interest in Bay the worse things are for our hopes for Holliday.

I'm much more worried about the Red Sox signing Holliday than the Yankees.

And the Giants are officialy out for both of them....... Rotoworld:

Giants general manager Brian Sabean said the Giants won't be in on free agent outfielders Matt Holliday and Jason Bay, FOXSports.com reports.

"They're beyond our limits," Sabean said. "We don't have the wherewithal to pay them the dollars they want." That likely takes at least one team out of the running for two of the offseason's most-coveted bats, but the Red Sox, Mets, Cardinals, Mariners and Yankees are expected to bid on corner outfielders before the winter is done.
Source: FOXSports.com
Related: Jason Bay

Edit: I see it's already been posted.........sorry.

Actually Brian, you do have the "wherewithal" to pay them. You just wasted that "wherewithal" on guys like Barry Zito.

[Jocephus]

Jon Heyman of SI.com reports that the Mets offered free agent outfielder Jason Bay a four-year contract worth roughly $65 million.
Bay turned down a similar contract from the Red Sox before hitting free agency, so the Mets would likely need to kick in another year to get a deal done. Interestingly, Heyman writes that the Mets didn't want to get into "protracted talks" for Matt Holliday, who could make up to $100 million this winter. The Mets are confident that Bay's pull-hitting style will translate to Citi Field, so it looks like they've finally made their preference known. Stay tuned.
Source: Jon Heyman on Twitter
Related: Mets

[ghostrunner]

His job, pure and simple, is to get the most money as possible for his clients. How he chooses to do that is his business. If this gets an extra mil/year for Holliday (and therefore 100K for himself), I would say that criticizing the Cardinals is his job.

So DeWitt's going to be shamed into spending more? No way that's the case. I'd assume if anything, it makes them less likely to deal with him.

Boras shamed McCourt in to giving Manny an extra year.

Like I said earlier, now that teams are better at valuating players, Boras' new tactic is shaming owners. My guess is he's hoping the Card's set the market then the Yankees come in at the last minute and top it.

Based on what we've seen from DeWitt, I don't feel like he's given Boras any reason to think that would work. Boras tried this kind of stuff with Weaver, as I recall. Actually that may have been after he left. I recall something like "the thing Cardinals fans need to know is that Weaver wanted to stay.."

Here's all I could find, and this is situation where Weaver is already with Seattle. No benefit to Boras other than perhaps to make St. Louis' frugality look bad.

[SHOW]

Last year, another longtime Boras client, Jeff Weaver, was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals after a poor start with the Angels in Anaheim. Weaver was dominant in the postseason, and the Cardinals won the World Series, but St. Louis offered Weaver only a one-year, $5 million contract — which Boras found insulting. “That’s what you’d offer a relief pitcher,” he says.

Weaver eventually signed with the Seattle Mariners for $8.3 million. “You have to respect that teams have a right to make their own decisions,” Boras says, before turning around and passing judgment on Cardinals general manager Walt Jocketty. “Here’s a GM who never played the game saying, ‘We’re going to go with our young guys,’ and I go, ‘You can’t.’”

The Cardinals simply blew it, Boras concludes. “The Cardinals not signing Jeff Weaver is how you don’t win divisions, and my prediction is the St. Louis Cardinals won’t win their division this year.” (At press time, the Cardinals were at the bottom of the National League Central.)

Good writeup from DanUp over at VEB:

But Scott Boras knows who the Cardinals are, and he knows that the Cardinals understand as much about his product as he does. I'm not sure what saying "you sure look like you can afford him!" to the press does, except earn him a small but devoted following among the comments sections of America's newspapers.

That Matt Holliday will eventually be an "owner's decision" is self-evident. Bill DeWallet (it's a pun) could spend money he does not want to spend on the Cardinals on Matt Holliday; it's within his means......

Having watched some of the better blogs rage against the continued employment of, say, Bill Bavasi for so long, I can only say that I'm glad the Cardinals have had reasonably competent management for the entirety of my blogging tenure. This particular Boras trick seems so transparent and desperate that I can only assume, in the grand tradition of trading with Billy Beane, that he is doing it on purpose, as part of an elaborate series of feints. But at least Mozeliak's unlikely to fall for the initial pump-fake.

[haltz]

not signing Jeff Weaver is how you don’t win divisions

holy [expletive], this is awesome.

[Swingingbunt]

not signing Jeff Weaver is how you don’t win divisions

holy [expletive], this is awesome.

You absolutely beat me to it. I literally laughed out loud when I read that.

[Freed Roger]

every damn day Boras is front page in PD. They've become the shill for him.

I'm curious if the Post Dispatch will get commission check from Boras once Holliday gets signed by someone.

[Michael]

Based on what we've seen from DeWitt, I don't feel like he's given Boras any reason to think that would work. Boras tried this kind of stuff with Weaver, as I recall. Actually that may have been after he left. I recall something like "the thing Cardinals fans need to know is that Weaver wanted to stay.."

I agree, my only point is shamming owners is now Boras' best tactic, and it's worked in the past, so he's going to use it. I don't think DeWitt is going to fall for the pressure. Holliday didn't lead us to the WS. Only Jeff Weaver has that magic.