MLB HR Derby

Well tonight's is the HR Derby. Here is who will be in it...

NL:
Prince Fielder, MIL
Matt Holliday, STL
Matt Kemp, LAD
Rickie Weeks, MIL

AL:
Jose Bautista, TOR
Robinson Cano, NYY
Adrian Gonzalez, BOS
David Ortiz, BOS

I think the 3 favorites have to be Bautista, Fielder, and Ortiz. I'm taking Ortiz tonight. He has the perfect swing for this kind of event and has done it before. I also think the AL is going to be way better then the NL (when aren't they), because the only one on that side that I think will make some noise is Fielder. Anyways, event starts at 8pm and should be fun with 2 Red Sox hitting.

Blockhead Resigns With St. Louis

Holliday said that the deal was for seven years and between $119 million and $120 million with a team option at the end of the contract. He also said the deal is pending a physical.

General manager John Mozeliak said in a text message to The Associated Press that he planned to address the media Thursday once Holliday passes the physical.ESPN

I hate Matt Holliday, I don't know why, but with that I'm going to say this is the worst contract in baseball. I don't care if the team has an option for his 7th year, this is a long ass contract with a lot of money at stake. The Cards are going to have to spend a lot of money with Albert Pujols becoming a free agent. I think you will see a steady decline in his game now that he has a huge contract.

Cardinals Close To Signing Holliday?

"The St. Louis Cardinals appear to be moving closer to a deal with free agent outfielder Matt Holliday, but it will cost more than $100 million to get it done. ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney is reporting that there is increased optimism within the Cardinals' camp about working out a deal for Holliday.

Agent Scott Boras is believed to have an offer in excess of $100 million from the Cardinals, and club officials with other teams sense he is shopping that offer. Boras has been doubling back to teams that had previously touched base on the outfielder, citing a possible salary figure of $18 million.

Derrick Goold of the Post-Dispatch reports today that a deal is "gaining momentum" and that the Cards' offer is potentially the largest in franchise history, topping the $100 million extension signed by Albert Pujols in 2004. Goold added that a resolution could come as early as next week (ESPN)."

It sounds like the Cardinals (much like the Mets with Bay) are competing against themselves. The Cardinals really need Holliday back, and I believe the will get him. There had bee rumors earlier in the week that the Orioles were going to jump into the mix, but their owner has come out and shot down those rumors. Boston had interesting, but after signing Lackey and Cameron, they seem to be at their max payroll...

Cardinals Make Offer To Holliday

"The Cardinals have tweaked their standing offer for the outfielder, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. While the newspaper reported the Cardinals' proposal is worth around $16 million a season, the team is hoping to sweeten the deal with a longer-term contract. The guaranteed years could be for as many as eight seasons, according to the newspaper. While Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak would not go into detail about what was said, he did tell the Post-Dispatch that the renewed talks with agent Scott Boras were a good sign.

"He's still a player we like very much and hope to retain," Mozeliak said (ESPN).

I think Holliday will stay in St. Louis. The market for him is drying up a bit. The Sox seem to be out after signing Lackey and Cameron yesterday. The Mets seemed focused on Bay, and the Angels have said they have other priorities. The only other team I can see really jumping in here would be Seattle, but I don't know how much they have left to spend after the moves they have made...

Holliday Over Bay For Red Sox?

"The Boston Red Sox are looking for a left fielder and have been mentioned in the market for free agents Jason Bay and Matt Holliday.

FoxSports.com reports that it would benefit Boston to pursue Holliday rather than Bay because it would land the team an additional draft pick. A rival executive told the website that the Red Sox may not intend to keep Bay even though they are negotiating with him.

Under the current system, a team that in effect exchanges one Type A free agent for another actually nets a sandwich pick between the first and second round -- technically losing a first for signing Holliday and gaining one for offering Bay arbitration and letting him sign elsewhere (ESPN)."

Yes it would be nice for the Sox to pick up some more draft picks, but I just trust Bay a lot more. Bay has proven that he can hit in Boston, hit in the AL, and be solid in the field. It's not that I would mind Holliday there, it is just a trust Bay a lot more, because he has already done it. There is no report from the Sox on these rumors, so it is really just baseball writers giving theories...nothing more.

Cardinals Interested In Jason Bay

"The St. Louis Cardinals are prepping a list of alternatives to Matt Holliday, and the top guy on that list may be Jason Bay, reports the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Holliday, a Boras client, is expected to seek a contract that betters the 8-year, $136 million the Chicago Cubs gave Alfonos Soriano, which may be too rich for the Cardinals. Bay is a year older than Holliday and is believed to be an inferior defender, which may suppress his free-agent value enough for St. Louis to stay involved (ESPN)."

Jason Bay is a better player then Holliday, and I really hope he stays with the Sox. My fear is that the Yankees might try to steal him away, but in the end I really don't think the Sox have any option, but to resign this guy. He can't carry an offense by himself, but I would much rather see him in left field then Matt "I can't hit in the AL" Holliday.

Why St. Louis Lost

Matt Holliday's nuts thought they could make the catch instead of his glove. And now the Dodgers are up 2-0.

Matt Holliday To Cardinals?

It has been very quiet on the matt Holliday trade front. Well, until today...

"The St. Louis Cardinals and Oakland Athletics have been talking about a possible swap of All-Star outfielder Matt Holliday and top prospect Brett Wallace, according to sources, and one person familiar with the talks places the odds of a deal at 50-50 (ESPN)."

The A's need to trade Holliday as he s eligible for free agency after this season, but he is not helping them out with a very average season hitting .287 with 11 homers and 54 RBI. The good news is that he is hitting much better of late and the Cardinals really need another bat in their lineup. I think this deal will get done, because both sides are very motivated. This Wallace kid makes a lot of sense for the A's since they are loaded with young pitching, but don't really have a lot of bats comign up. Wallace, 22, is a former first-round pick who is hitting .292 in the minors this year, with a .372 on-base percentage.

A's Keeping Holliday?

"How will Matt Holliday's struggles at the plate affect his trade value? For now, A's GM Billy Beane told the San Jose Mercury News he doesn't feel an urgency to deal Holliday if the A's appear out of contention by the July 31 trade deadline (Sportsline)."

The article goes on to say the A's a reluctant to trade Holliday because if they keep him they will get two high draft picks if Holliday left via free agency after the season. It also can't be helping that Holliday really hasn't played all that great this season (.274 8 HR 39 RBIs), and the fact that he is making $13.5 million with a shitty economy makes the A's more and more likely to just ride out this season and take the draft picks...

Matt Holliday To Yankees?

You know the Red Sox and Yankees names are going to be all over this guy as the trade deadline gets closer. Today I am already reading that Holliday has interesting in playing for the Yankees. Before this year started, and extension talks had stalled with Bay, I really thought this was the Sox plan. That they eventually wanted to land this guy, but to be honest I think I'd rather have Bay. Holliday needs to prove to me that he can be the same kind of power guy that he was at Coors field (0 HRs so far this year). They Yankees will have obvious interest with Matsui/Damon coming to a close, but I might caution the Sox to staying out of this IF they can bring back Bay.

Here is what Holliday/his father had to say...

"Yeah, I would play here," Matt Holliday told Davidoff Tuesday night, before his A's 5-3 loss to the Yankees. "I'd have no problem playing here."
In a piece written last season, New York Times beat writer Tyler Kepner went so far as to quote Holliday's father, Tom, as saying "If someone would have called me today and said Matt had gotten traded to the Yankees, I'd have been hunting for a place to celebrate (ESPN)."

Obviously this isn't automatically mean he is going to the Yankees, but this story will be developing over the course of the season, and whether it gains steam will depend on how he plays, how the A's are playing, and how the Sox/Yanks are playing...

Matt Holliday To A's

Matt Holliday appears headed to the Oakland Athletics in a deal with the Colorado Rockies, baseball sources have told ESPN's Jerry Crasnick and Buster Olney.

Final details are being finalized, though the teams have agreed to terms, a baseball source told Olney. The source said the deal may not be finalized for up to 48 hours.

The deal is also pending completion of physical exams.

Although the package coming back to Colorado has yet to be determined, it's believed that pitcher Greg Smith was one of the players under discussion, as was left-handed pitcher Brett Anderson.

This is a steal for the A's if they can sign him longterm. Holliday is one of the best outfielders in baseball and helps the A's offense tenfold. I was hoping the Sox would go after him, but it looks like the A's struck first. This instantly gives the A's a face of the franchise for a really long time. Greg Smith is going to be a really good pitcher and I don't know much about Brett Anderson.