The Cardinals' offseason plans hinge on Matt Holliday, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Joe Strauss and Derrick Goold. In their latest articles, each writer explains how the Cardinals' pursuit of Holliday will affect the rest of the team's offseason.
Goold notes that if the team fails to sign Holliday, it could free up some money to fill out the starting rotation. Conversely, if they are able to ink Holliday to a deal, their rotation solution will likely be an in-house player rather than a free agent. The team is set with Chris Carpenter, Adam Wainwright, Brad Penny, and Kyle Lohse as its top four, but will be searching for a fifth starter. Although the Cards are "out of the bidding" for Joel Pineiro, the team could pursue another mid-level starter if the Holliday money is available.
Meanwhile, Strauss writes that the more time the Cardinals spend going after Holliday, the greater chance there is that Mark DeRosa slips away. The Cardinals probably view DeRosa as a Plan B after Holliday, but with plenty of other teams interested, DeRosa may have signed elsewhere by the time Holliday makes a decision.
Strauss' article also mentions that Tony La Russa has interest in Miguel Tejada as a possible option for the left side of the infield.
