Call to the pen
Fansided

MLB Payroll Analyis and Offseason Preview: St. Louis Cardinals

By Joshua Mayer

May 28, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina (4) singles against the Washington Nationals in the eighth inning at Nationals Park. The Cardinals won 9-4. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
May 28, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina (4) singles against the Washington Nationals in the eighth inning at Nationals Park. The Cardinals won 9-4. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 7
Next
Apr 14, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals left fielder Matt Holliday (7) looks on from the batters box against the Milwaukee Brewers at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals won the game 7-0. Mandatory Credit: Billy Hurst-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Billy Hurst-USA TODAY Sports /

Options

Player 2016 Salary ($) 2017 Option ($) (WAR), Stats
OF Matt Holliday 17 M 17 M, Team (0.5), .242/.318/.450, 19 HR
SP Jaime Garcia 11.5 M 12 M, Team (1.3), 29 G, 4.65 ERA
Totals 28.5 M 29 M –

Two interesting options for the Cards, neither with an easy answer. The team may want Matt Holliday back, but most likely not at 17 million. The easy decision is to decline the option and try to resign him to a more team friendly deal, possibly with more years. With Randal Grichuk and Stephen Piscotty penciled in in the outfield, there is only one spot left.

If St. Louis wants to go young, they can go with Jeremy Hazelbaker and Tommy Pham in left field in 2017. The previously mentioned Brandon Moss could also play some left if he is resigned.  But, the Cardinals seem to like Holliday and his veteran leadership, so he may be back with a starting role next year. After all, depth in the outfield is never a bad thing. 

Garcia is even more interesting. After an injury plagued, yet terrific season in 2015, Garcia finally stayed healthy this year. But, he struggled throughout and was recently demoted to the bullpen. With the dearth of starting pitching in free agency, Garcia would be one of the top arms on the market if his deal were to be declined. With that in mind, St. Louis will accept the option and see if Garcia can get back to form in 2017. If not, next year will be his last at Busch stadium.

Next: Who's Already on the Payroll?

Home/St. Louis Cardinals