One free agent each MLB team should sign right now

St. Louis Cardinals: Greg Holland

Like J.D. Martinez going to the Red Sox, Greg Holland to the Cardinals makes too much sense to not eventually occur. St. Louis desperately needs to sign a dominant closer, as it is unlikely that Luke Gregerson will be able to hold the job for an entire year. Take away the ugly month of April that the Cardinals bullpen labored through last season, and the team is likely in the playoffs instead of sitting at home.

With Seung-hwan Oh, Juan Nicasio and Trevor Rosenthal all heading out of town, the Cardinals have a very young bullpen. St. Louis is relying on inexperienced relievers without established track records to continue getting solid results. Gregerson is coming off a down year for the Astros, but his strikeout numbers still look strong. The .257 batting average against and 13 home runs allowed in only 61 innings, however, are a problem.

Wade Davis signed for three years and $51 million with Greg Holland’s old team, the Rockies. A deal that rich is not likely to come Holland’s way, and if he’s holding out for it, he will have to keep waiting. Three years, however, might not be out of line. In his first year back from Tommy John, the 32-year-old was able to show that he had not lost much. Holland made his third All-Star Game, led the NL in saves and struck out 11 per nine.

If not for a one-month slump in the second half last season, Holland would not still be left waiting on the free agent market. He was dominant nearly the entire year, a 10-game run from August 3 to August 26 where he allowed 14 runs in 8.1 innings not withstanding. The Cardinals are one of the only teams left that needs a closer, and they should be able to work a deal with Holland.