Report: Cardinals to pursue Rockies' Holland in free agency

Greg Holland's playing career outside the state of Missouri could be coming to a close.

The Colorado Rockies closer is expected to decline his $15-million player option to become a free agent. One team already in the mix is the St. Louis Cardinals, according to USA TODAY Sports' Bob Nightengale.

The Cardinals could be without erstwhile closer Trevor Rosenthal for the entire 2018 season after he underwent Tommy John surgery in August. Seung Hwan Oh, the other ninth-inning option the team employed, struggled to a 4.10 ERA over 59 1/3 innings. He's a free agent.

Signing Holland will come at a steep cost, as the veteran right-hander will seek a multi-year contract following a sturdy campaign where he recorded 41 saves with a 3.61 ERA in his first season following his own Tommy John surgery.

Some executives speculated to FanRag Sports' Jon Heyman that the four-year, $62-million deal Mark Melancon signed with the San Francisco Giants after 2016 would be a reasonable expectation.