Holliday update: O’s, Cards, another team?

Things seem to be heating up on the Matt Holiday front, as additional teams may be jumping into the race to land the left fielder.

While the Cardinals still appear to be the favorites, reports last night indicated that the Orioles might end up being serious bidders. This actually isn’t all that suprising. The O’s are a very talented young team, but could use a bit more power in the middle of their order. They tried to sign Mark Teixeira to build around last season, but weren’t able to. There are also rumors floating around that they will go after Padres first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, a move I’d be a fan of.

Additionally, Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports tweeted that Holliday may also have another offer on the table from an East Coast team. My money would be on New York – either the Mets or the Yankees. The Yankees seemed out of it for Holliday a few days ago, but with Damon talks stalling, and both Halladay and Lackey off the market, they might make an offer. The Mets, who seem more interested in Jason Bay, could also be players for Holliday is Bay doesn’t seem ready to sign.

Holliday, who hit .313/.394/.515 last season, with a .390 wOBA and 5.7 UZR, was a 6-7 WAR player in 2009, and is certainly deserving a contract at least approaching $20 million a year, if not exceeding it. However, his numbers have dropped of a bit, and he clearly isn’t the same player he was in Coors field. Fantasy wise, Holliday wont repeat his second half batting average, even if he stays in St. Louis, but he could hit .310 with 25 homers and 10-15 steals and 100 RBIs, making him a #1 fantasy outfielder. A move to Yankee stadium could up his value even more, so keep an eye on the situation as it develops.