St. Louis Cardinals will regret passing on Greg Holland

DENVER, CO – JULY 08: Pitcher Greg Holland /

All-star closer Greg Holland remains unsigned. There are few better matches available in free agency than Greg Holland joining the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Chicago Cubs made their big move on Saturday; now it’s time for the St. Louis Cardinals to make one of their own. They may not be able to equal the Cubs’ Yu Darvish signing; however, there is a significant name out there that should intrigue the Cards. All-Star closer Greg Holland remains available as a free agent. Fittingly, the Cardinals are in need of a shutdown closer.

St. Louis signed former Astros reliever Luke Gregerson back in November. They have designated Gregerson their closer entering spring training, but that is subject to change. General Manager John Mozeliak addressed the closer situation in January, claiming Gregerson is their closer at the moment, but hinting at the possibility of an in-organization change once all relievers are evaluated throughout the spring.

Mozeliak and the rest of the Cardinals staff have a decision to make: handle the closer role as the season plays out, or lock the role down before the season begins.

Excluding maybe two handfuls of teams, the closer role is primarily interchangeable in today’s game. Kenley Jansen’s and Craig Kimbrel’s don’t come around too often. Teams rarely have the luxury of entering a season knowing they have their guy to shut down opponents in the 9th inning. Clubs understand this burden and have learned to deal with it, some better than others. With that being said, why burden yourself with such a challenge when you have the of the tools in place to acquire a premier closer? The Cardinals can cross off a prioritized void by signing Greg Holland. Should they sign Holland, they will become one of the two handfuls of teams that can be worry free of an interchangeable closer role.

St. Louis has rumored gracing Alex Reyes with the closer role. Reyes will be returning from Tommy John surgery and will, therefore, have to be somewhat coddled before returning to his customary workload. What better way to limit someone’s innings than making him your closer?

While being certain that Alex Reyes could find success as a closer, it seems unlikely the Cards will be content with keeping him out of the starting rotation for too long. Remember, Reyes was outstanding as a starter when healthy. He posted a 4-1 record with a 1.57 ERA as a starter in 2016.

The best solution for the Cardinals is to sign Greg Holland. Holland would be the rock at the end of the bullpen. His presence would avoid role changes throughout the season, allowing pitchers to know their role and to feel comfortable in their role.

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Greg Holland has ranked in the top three in saves in three of the past five seasons. He won the Mariano Rivera award in 2014 as the top closer in baseball. Additionally, he is coming off a year in which he posted 41 saves and held opposing hitters to a .193 batting average. Perhaps above all, Holland had tremendous success pitching at Coors Field, which very few pitchers can say.

The St. Louis Cardinals cannot miss out on an opportunity to sign Greg Holland. It’s unlikely they would match or exceed the three-year, $52 million contract offered by the Rockies; however, few to zero teams will. Plus, Holland declined the Rockies’ offer anyway. We’ll find out soon enough what deal Holland is looking for and which team he is looking to join.

Next: MLB Trade Rumors: Twins after Chris Archer?

There is always a lot to like about the St. Louis Cardinals—great fans, excellent management, and a winning tradition. The atmosphere in St. Louis is similar to that of Kansas City—a place where Greg Holland had outstanding success. St. Louis will have their hands full with both the Cubs and Brewers in the upcoming season, but we know they’ll be in the running for the playoffs come early October. It sure would be a satisfying feeling now and in October to have a trusted closer on the roster.

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