According to ESPN.com’s Buster Olney, the Cardinals offered free agent outfielder Matt Holliday over $100 million.

Scott Boras, the agent who represents Holliday, has been doubling back to teams that had previously touched base on the outfielder, citing a possible salary figure of $18 million. 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.

Outfielder Jason Bay reached agreement on a four-year, guaranteed $66 million contract with the New York Mets, pending a physical. If Holliday were to finalize a six-year or seven-year offer for about $17 million a year with the Cardinals, he would sign for a package in the range of $102 million to $119 million, the largest contract of this offseason.

Earlier this offseason, the Red Sox offered Holliday a five-year, $82.5 million contract, but sources say Boston’s offer was rejected. The Red Sox then used that money to sign veteran right-handed starter John Lackey.

Unless the Yankees want to open up their wallets again, I doubt that Boras and Holliday will see an offer higher than the one the Cardinals offered (that is, if Olney’s report is accurate and St. Louis did offer that amount).

I wonder what Plan B is for the Cardinals if they can’t re-sign Holliday, because no matter what, they need a decent bat to protect Albert Pujols in their lineup. One would think that Holliday will sign with someone soon now that Jason Bay is off the market.

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