Colorado Rockies rumors: St. Louis Cardinals interested in Greg Holland?

We knew it would not take long for teams to start expressing an interest in closer Greg Holland after he reportedly turned down his option with the Colorado Rockies. Holland wanted to be able to test the market in free agency and it seems one team has already expressed its interest in Holland’s services.

After spending six years with the Kansas City Royals, it now appears the St. Louis Cardinals are interested in bringing Holland back to the Show Me State as their closer. Bob Nightengale of USA Today was the first to report the news and several media outlets have been hopping on the possibility since then, including our FanSided colleagues at Redbird Rants.

Coming back from Tommy John surgery, Holland tied for the National League lead with 41 saves last season while setting a Colorado franchise record in the category. His ability to lock down games was desperately needed by the Rockies, who have struggled looking for consistency at the back end of their bullpen in recent seasons. Holland provided just that.

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The 31-year-old right-hander was solid for the Rockies all season except for a stretch in August where he locked down just three of six save opportunities and posted a 13.50 ERA during the month. Opponents hit .333 against Holland in August.

Compare those numbers to his overall 3.61 ERA and .193 batting average and it’s easy to see how August’s struggles spiked Holland’s season numbers.

Seung-Hwan Oh led the Cardinals last season with 20 saves, but the 35-year-old right-hander also posted a 4.10 ERA and 1.40 WHIP. Trevor Rosenthal started the season as the closer in St. Louis but underwent Tommy John surgery at the end of August. He is likely to miss the 2018 season recovering from the procedure.

St. Louis needs a closer and the Cardinals have shown a willingness to open their wallets in the past to fulfill a need. Dexter Fowler, a former Rockies center fielder, found that out in the offseason when St. Louis signed him to a five-year, $82.5 million deal. The Cardinals needed a center fielder and were not afraid to spend to get one.

Next: Who else could be Colorado's closer in 2018?

We have long said that Holland would be in for a payday if he chose to test the free agent market. St. Louis could be the team that sets the market value for Holland and the price for Colorado if the Rockies want to bring him back.