10 MLB moves that need to happen before the offseason ends
5. Cardinals sign Greg Holland
A disastrous performance by the bullpen in April last year was ultimately what kept the St. Louis Cardinals out of the 2017 playoffs. They missed the playoffs by four games and the relievers lost three games in the first month of the year with a 5.55 ERA and allowed an .805 OPS. Things leveled off from there, but the Cardinals will enter 2018 without Seung-hwan Oh, Trevor Rosenthal and Juan Nicasio.
The Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs are both looking for new ninth-inning men after Wade Davis chose to sign with the Colorado Rockies. It was never clear that the Cubs made a serious push to re-sign, but he set a new record for annual salary for a reliever. If that sets the market for fellow All-Star Greg Holland, Theo Epstein and the Cubs will be out on him as well.
Holland comes with plenty of downside risk, but the Cardinals have to have a closer if they are going to make a run at getting back to the playoffs after missing out for two straight years. The Cubs added Brandon Morrow and Steve Cishek in December, so their search for a closer does not have to be quite as desperate.
St. Louis added Luke Gregerson for bullpen depth, and he will be the de facto closer for now. The 33-year-old right-hander is coming off the worst year of his career and allowed 13 home runs in 61 innings in 2017. Marcell Ozuna is the big addition for St. Louis so far this winter, but he still comes fairly cheap for the next two years. The Cardinals have plenty of cash to spend on someone like Eric Hosmer, but their biggest need is in the ninth inning, and Greg Holland is their best option.