Report: Cardinals agree to 1-year, $14M deal with Holland
The St. Louis Cardinals appear to have finally found their closer just hours before the first pitch of 2018, agreeing to a one-year, $14-million deal with All-Star right-hander Greg Holland, according to Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports.
Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak told MLB.com's Mark Feinsand the team has scheduled a physical for Holland. If he passes the exam, the contract could be finalized as early as Thursday night, per Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Per a source, Greg Holland's deal with the Cardinals has incentives for awards, but no others.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) March 29, 2018
Holland, one of the last marquee free agents available, has had trouble finding work this winter despite his All-Star 2017 season with the Colorado Rockies. He reportedly turned down a three-year, $52-million offer earlier this winter from Colorado, which then turned around and gave that same contract to another All-Star stopper in Wade Davis. It was reported earlier this week that his price tag might have scared teams off.
After missing all of 2016 due to Tommy John surgery, the 32-year-old Holland rebounded to save an NL-best 41 games last season and help the Rockies reach the playoffs. He was named NL Comeback Player of the Year for his efforts.
The three-time All-Star won the 2014 Mariano Rivera Award as AL Reliever of the Year while pitching for the Kansas City Royals.
St. Louis didn't commit to a specific closer before Opening Day. Instead, several pitchers were expected to be used in the ninth inning by manager Mike Matheny, including Dominic Leone, Tyler Lyons, and possibly southpaw Brett Cecil. The team signed Luke Gregerson during the offseason, but he's opening the season on the disabled list, making the need for another reliever that much more urgent.
Other teams who apparently had some interest in signing Holland included the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets. The latter is the Cardinals' Opening Day opponent.