[Elite_video_player id=”9″]
According to multiple sources, the St. Louis Cardinals will decline Matt Holliday‘s 2017 option worth roughly $17 million, making him a free agent after this season. The Colorado Rockies will be in the market for a first baseman once the offseason rolls around — so … why not sign Holliday and put him there?
Well, it’s not that easy.
The 36-year-old endured an injury-riddled season in 2016, not to mention in 2015 as well, scratching and clawing his way to the finish line. Though the season is still not over, his Cardinals are still vying for that second Wild Card spot in a fight to the finish with the San Francisco Giants. However, if St. Louis were to make it, Holliday will be absent from the lineup due to a broken thumb.
The Cardinals activated the seven-time All-Star prior to Friday night’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, giving him one last final at-bat in a Cardinals uniform in front of the home crowd. In the bottom half of the seventh inning with the Cardinals up 5-0, Holliday did the unthinkable, hitting a solo home run on an 0-2 pitch with, mind you, a broken thumb. Holliday is one tough cookie.
For those of you wondering, Holliday has played some first base this season for the Cards, appearing in just ten games. There are a few questions to ask, whether Holliday would accept coming back to Colorado, and could he be productive defensively at first. Questions we really can’t answer at this time.
Did he touch home plate?
The most vivid memory I recall of Matt Holliday came in the 2007 National League Wild Card tie-breaker against the San Diego Padres. Tied at 8-8 in the bottom half of the 13th inning, a game that seemed like it would never end, Jamey Carroll sent a Trevor Hoffman offering into right-field with Matt Holliday attempting to tag up from third with no outs. San Diego’s outfield was playing in as Brian Giles closed in on the ball, firing it as soon as he got it. In the blink of an eye, Matt Holliday laid behind home plate, busted chin and all — SAFE. Or so umpire Tim McClelland said.
The Rockies traded Holliday back in 2008, shipping him to the Oakland Athletics in exchange for closer Huston Street, left-handed pitcher Greg Smith, and outfielder Carlos Gonzalez. The trade worked out well in Colorado’s favor, being that Holliday only spent one season with the A’s. Oh, and CarGo is pretty good.
Holliday appeared in 102 games this season, slashing at a line of .244/.320/.459 with 20 doubles, 20 home runs, and 61 RBI. Just by looking at his slash line, he can still provide a bat that can produce at a high-level. The power is still there, posting his highest slugging percentage since his 2013 campaign. The concern is his batting average — though an injury-plagued season will hamper almost anyone. Holliday’s WAR finished at 0.2 — worst in his entire career.
At this stage in his career, landing with an American League team is a safe bet — Boston Red Sox anyone? With the looming departure of future Hall-of-Famer David Ortiz, Boston may be in the market for a player, like Holliday, to fill the void.
Colorado’s current first baseman, Mark Reynolds, is set to become a free agent this offseason. Reynolds slashed at a line of .282/.356/.450 with 24 doubles, 14 home runs, and 53 RBI. Reynolds was a stable part in the Rockies lineup, providing both the leather and the bat. Judging by the eye-ball test, I’m convinced he did enough to earn another contract with Colorado but that’s up for management to decide.
Being that Colorado doesn’t have a bonafide first baseman on the roster outside of Reynolds, Colorado will be in the hunt for a first baseman — just a matter of when.
I’d personally love to see Matt Holliday back in a Rockies uniform — just at the right price. Holliday will be able to put up big numbers at Coors, even at 37-years-old. The question is and will remain, will Holliday be able to stay healthy and does this really fit into the Rockies’ plans?
