There is no way I can see Matt Holliday being able to play 1B. But if he can figure it out, great!
Hope he can. He did play some infield (third base, I believe) very early in his career.
Holiday's longevity will be directly tied to his ability to move to the American League. The guy is so big and strong with no flexibility that he will struggle to play anywhere on the field. At some point you will need to hide him. Isn't this the last year of his current contract?
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2015/12/cardinals-discussing-starting-pitcher-trade-with-rays.html
I hope it is Odorizzi. This guy is and will be a stud. I don't know who we'd have to give up, but I would love that have this guy wearing the birds on a bat. He is a good pitcher and will be under control until 2019, so not really sure why Tampa would be hearing about offers for him, makes me think they are in the catbird seat on these negotiations. Should it be Smyly or Moore, I would be ok with as well, but I really like Odorizzi.
Another possibility, apparently, is Mike Leake:
http://www.foxsports.com/mlb/story/...-to-sign-free-agent-pitcher-mike-leake-121815
Mark Buehrle (from St. Charles, MO) seems like such a natural fit for you guys that I'm surprised it hasn't already happened.
Seems like he could be a Lackey 2.0.
I like Leake, but when I see a guy like Odorizzi, for me, I try to get it done. The market might be drying out for Leake, but I think he wants to be out west and ultimately would take less to be out there. So what, do you pay a little more money to get Leake or give up some players to get Odorizzi? Do you know if Leake had a qualifying offer tendered by the Giants? I would hate to send one of our compensation picks back for Leake.
I would go as far as to offer Adams, Wacha and a prospect of either Edmundo Sosa or Diaz for him. Obviously I'm not a GM, but if something like that were to go down, we would be able to keep our young pitching prospects in tact(Gonzales, Reyes, and Flaherty) to go along with CMart and Odorizzi in the future. Also, our young outfielders in the system(Sierra and Plummer) would still be here to develop and we would have either Sosa or Diaz still here to develop and take over for Jhonny when his contract is up in 2 years.
I love talking about things that probably won't happen. Let's face it, the Cubs are the favorite and probably will be for some time, but if we can add young impact players with a little extra cash flow coming in the future, we can get right back in this game.
Yea, I think it has always been a dream of his to pitch in STL, but I wonder how much his heart is in it. Didn't he retire in Toronto, but had second thoughts about it? Talking about local kids, Odorizzi is from Breese, Il, not too far from STL.
Jake is from Highland, actually. You may be thinking of josh thole, catcher for the bluejays. He's from breese, and close in age. Highland is only 30 miles east of stl right along I-70. He grew up a cardinals fan for sure. His wife is also pregnant, so moving back home may be a welcome change for him to be back around family and friends. Or maybe he wouldn't want the pressure that comes with playing at home, that can be a lot to handle for a young pitcher, although he looked good when he pitched in stl a couple seasons ago.
It's all rumors at this point anyway, we'll see.
No Qualifying offer because he was traded mid season by the Reds.
You are right it is all rumors, but I still get excited. Jake was born in Breese, educated in Highland, but I don't know when he moved there. Doesn't matter, either place isn't far from the metro area.
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2015/12/cardinals-discussing-starting-pitcher-trade-with-rays.html
I hope it is Odorizzi. This guy is and will be a stud. I don't know who we'd have to give up, but I would love that have this guy wearing the birds on a bat. He is a good pitcher and will be under control until 2019, so not really sure why Tampa would be hearing about offers for him, makes me think they are in the catbird seat on these negotiations. Should it be Smyly or Moore, I would be ok with as well, but I really like Odorizzi.
So I'm trying to weave some possibilities from the rumors. Would the Rays need Holliday for DH? That would open up left field for Gordon and return us a pitcher.
I'd like to see Holliday finish out his career in StL but that really depends on how much longer he wants to play.
I doubt he would waive his no trade to go to Tampa.
I like Leake, but when I see a guy like Odorizzi, for me, I try to get it done. The market might be drying out for Leake, but I think he wants to be out west and ultimately would take less to be out there. So what, do you pay a little more money to get Leake or give up some players to get Odorizzi? Do you know if Leake had a qualifying offer tendered by the Giants? I would hate to send one of our compensation picks back for Leake.
I would go as far as to offer Adams, Wacha and a prospect of either Edmundo Sosa or Diaz for him. Obviously I'm not a GM, but if something like that were to go down, we would be able to keep our young pitching prospects in tact(Gonzales, Reyes, and Flaherty) to go along with CMart and Odorizzi in the future. Also, our young outfielders in the system(Sierra and Plummer) would still be here to develop and we would have either Sosa or Diaz still here to develop and take over for Jhonny when his contract is up in 2 years.
I love talking about things that probably won't happen. Let's face it, the Cubs are the favorite and probably will be for some time, but if we can add young impact players with a little extra cash flow coming in the future, we can get right back in this game.
I don't catch a lot of Rays baseball and really pay attention to the NL Central (Cards fan in Chicago). Why would you give up Wacha and more for this guy? I believe Wacha will be stronger in 2016 and be solid 2 or even 1 going forward.
Why on earth would you give up one of your best pitchers plus much more for a guy that is older and less accomplished? I think the Cardinal fanbase would be call for Mo to be fired over that kind of move. When Wacha is healthy he is literally one of the best pitchers in baseball and he is only 24 years old.