Jon Heyman of SI.com writes on his Twitter page that Cardinals manager Tony La Russa “badly” wants A’s outfielder Matt Holliday. And that’s not all, apparently St. Louis would also be willing to part with minor leaguer Brett Wallace, who was Baseball America’s 40th-best prospect entering the season.
Holliday-to-St. Louis is starting to pick up steam and it appears that the Cardinals have jumped in front of other teams to acquire his services. With Holliday set to become a free agent at the end of the season and still owed $6 million on his contract this year, Oakland GM Billy Beane would like to move him before the July 31 trade deadline. So if he can acquire a top prospect like Wallace, then it’s hard to believe he wouldn’t pull the trigger.
What helps Beane in this case is that Holliday is starting to swing a hot bat. Through Thursday night’s action, he’s hitting .286 with 11 home runs and 54 RBI. That’s a stark improvement from earlier this season, when he was struggling to even top .260.
Holliday would be a solid addition to the Cardinals’ lineup, one in which needs a bat to help protect Albert Pujols in the lineup. And Holliday would not only make Pujols better, but also other contributors like Mark DeRosa and Ryan Ludwick as well.
