St. Louis Cardinals sign Greg Holland, and it’s about time
The St. Louis Cardinals are closing in on a deal with Greg Holland, according to multiple sources, and it’s about time!
It appears the St. Louis Cardinals have finally found their 9th-inning stopper. No, it’s not Jordan Hicks or another one of their flame-throwing prospects.
Instead, they’ve decided to pursue a more proven option, one with World Series experience.
According to John Hayman, who was first on the scene, the Cardinals are nearly done inking Greg Holland to a deal — filling that one gaping hole on their roster.
breaking: #STLCards are moving close to a deal with closer greg holland. would fuill their one hole. no details known yet.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) March 29, 2018
Initially, the Redbirds showed a slight interest in Greg Holland at the beginning of the offseason, but nothing too serious — until now.
The #Stlcards, who had expressed no interest in Closer Greg Holland all winter, now engaged in serious talks per @JonHeyman
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) March 29, 2018
Pending a physical, the All-Star and World Series champion is set to don the Birds on the Bat in 2018, and hopefully beyond.
Greg Holland’s deal with #STLCards is for one year, source confirms. @MLBNetwork @MLB
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) March 29, 2018
The two sides have agreed to a one-year deal, but it’s unknown the exact term at this point.
The Cardinals have a deal with Greg Holland pending a physical, source confirms.
— Mark Saxon (@markasaxon) March 29, 2018
Ironically, the New York Mets engaged with Holland earlier this week — and the St. Louis Cardinals happen to be in New York playing the Mets on Opening Day — taking an opportunistic approach, evidently.
“Physical pending,” a source says before deal is complete with GREG Holland. #stlcards Could join team here in New York. https://t.co/HXoKiZkhKW
— Derrick Goold (@dgoold) March 29, 2018
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Holland now has an opportunity to play for a team with MLB postseason aspirations once again, after his tenure with the Colorado Rockies left a bad taste in his mouth, where he coughed up the lead in the 2017 NL Wild Card game against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
What took so long for the St. Louis Cardinals to make this deal happen? Was it there plan all along to wait? Or, was Holland’s agent Greg Boras doing what he does best in holding out for a significant payday?
Nevertheless, this deal should’ve happened months ago, but better late than never, right? The lack of a consistent, efficient closer in 2017 cost the Cardinals a chance of competing in the postseason, so it appears to John Mozeliak’s learned from his “mistakes” of times past.
With Jordan Hicks making the 40-man roster and Alex Reyes due back before the All-Star break, the one glaring weakness of the St. Louis Cardinals may now be a strength. Let’s not forget about Trevor Lyons either, who was a bright spot coming for the Cardinals in 2017 out of the pen.
Next: Top 10 Rookie-Eligible Cards Prospects
Welcome to St. Louis Greg Holland. Here’s hoping you bring some of that 2014 and 2015 Royals magic across I-70 to the Arch City.