After being unable to find a contract offer he liked this offseason, closing pitcher Greg Holland found a home on MLB's Opening Day. FanRag Sports' Jon Heyman reports Holland and the St. Louis Cardinals agreed to a one-year, $14 million deal to make Holland the Cardinals' closer this season.
Holland, who turned down a $17 million qualifying offer from the Colorado Rockies, ultimately settles for much less than he hoped for when he entered the market. There are conflicting reports over if he received the same offer as Wade Davis, three years and $52 million, but it's certain he at least passed on some opportunities for a bigger pay day much earlier in the offseason when no one knew how bad the offseason would play out for many free agents.
The cost of waiting, both financially and in preparedness for the season, is evident for Holland. The 32-year-old will need at least two weeks in extended spring training to get back into form where he could even rejoin the Cardinals' bullpen and be ready for the haul of the season and be in his normal form. It's also important for St. Louis to play it somewhat cautiously with Holland given his previous arm injuries, so they don't want to rush him back into the closer's role.
For the time being, Dominic Leone is the reliever to target for saves in St. Louis. The 26-year-old possesses significant ability to generate strikeouts and pitched extremely well this spring training, which should earn him the first shot at save opportunities for a competitive ball club. Last season, Leone posted a 2.56 ERA and struck out 81 batters across 70 1/3 innings pitched for the Toronto Blue Jays and came over from Toronto in the Randal Grichuk trade.
When Holland is ready for the grind of the season and his pitches are at 100 percent, he should slide into the closer role within a week of his debut with the team. He pitched very well for the Rockies last season and converted 41 of 45 save opportunities. In addition, Holland struck out 70 batters across 57 1/3 innings pitched. While walks are a concern for him, Holland should emerge as a top-12 fantasy closer once he is back on the mound.