The Cardinals have intensified discussions with the lead representative for free agent Matt Holliday and on Monday "tweaked" a standing offer they hope will allow them to retain the left fielder for at least eight seasons.
General manager John Mozeliak and agent Scott Boras revisited the framework of the Cardinals' lengthy proposal first tendered last Wednesday. Though both parties refuse to discuss details, the deal is worth around $16 million a season, making it easily the most lucrative deal ever offered by the Cardinals.
Mozeliak declined to discuss the state of negotiations Monday, insisting he wasn't inclined to give out any "play-by-play" accounts. However, Mozeliak confirmed renewed contact with Boras as a potentially positive sign.
He's still a player we like very much and hope to retain," Mozeliak said.
With the Cardinals increasingly impatient to reach a resolution, sources familiar with the talks believe it possible Holliday could reach a verdict before Christmas.
The Cardinals have attempted to address Boras' displeasure with their proposal's average annual value by adding guaranteed money through additional years. The proposal at least temporarily dwarfs the average value of the seven-year, $100 million extension the Cardinals and first baseman Albert Pujols negotiated in February 2003.
Timing for Holliday's decision has been connected to another free-agent left fielder, Jason Bay. Apparently no longer likely to return to the Boston Red Sox, Bay appears pointed toward the New York Mets. The Red Sox have countered by striking a tentative deal with free agent Mike Cameron, a former Gold Glove center fielder.
The New York Yankees may represent the most dangerous variable to the Cardinals. Previously insistent that they are not interested in entering bidding for Holliday, they could be enticed to enter at the eleventh hour.
Bay's signing would probably accelerate Boras' timetable for Holliday, who prefers a return to St. Louis, according to a source familiar with this thinking.
Unimpressed by the Cardinals' initial offer, Boras may be increasingly open to an opt-out within the contract. He included just such a clause in the Texas Rangers' 10-year, $252 million deal for Alex Rodriguez. Traded to the Yankees in 2004, Rodriguez exercised the opt-out clause following the 2007 season, eventually re-signing with the Yankees. Boras is also seeking full no-trade protection for Holliday, which would maximize an opt-out's leverage.
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