Red Sox shifting attention to Holliday?
The Red Sox seem to be shifting their priorities from Jason Bay to Matt Holliday, according to ESPN's Buster Olney. And that could be bad news for the Cardinals.As we have discussed on these pages before, where the Red Sox go, the Yankees and their big checkbook is likely to follow. So this maybe the doorway to the bidding war agent Soctt Boras is hoping for.The free agent market has been slow to develop not only because of the lack of five-star talent but because teams are perplexed about how the market is going to play out due to the recession. No one seems to want to make the first move.That's also bad news for the Cardinals because t

I wouldn't trade Wainwright for Lincecum straight up.
I still say that Adam Wainwright had a better 2009 than Tim Lincecum. But, even if I didn't, I still wouldn't trade Wainwright for the Giants' ace.According to reports out of San Francisco, Lincecum's representatives have been emboldened by the star pitcher's back-to-back Cy Young Awards and are considering asking for $23 million in salary arbitration this off-season. For one year of service.It sounds insane. But Lincecum's people believe the back-to-back Cy Youngs are the evidence that proves that he is the best pitcher in baseball. As such, they say he deserves to be paid at least as much as the game's highest-paid pitcher, C.C. Sabathia, who will make

Pujols says he wants to retire as a Cardinal
Cardinals superstar Albert Pujols had a lot of reasons to smile Tuesday when he collected his third MVP award, tying the legendary Stan Musial for the most in St. Louis baseball history.But he gave fans even more reason to smile when he announced, contrary to rumors earlier this off-season that he might take his show elsewhere when his current contract expires, that he doesn't want to play anywhere but here."This is my place," Pujols said at a press conference at Busch Stadium where he was introduced as the NL MVP. "This is where I want to be. I don't hide that. I keep saying that, since you guys [reporters] started talking about whether I'm going to be a

Rumor Mill: Nelson Cruz
The Cardinals are reportedly one of several teams that have contacted their rangers about power-hitting outfielder Nelson Cruz.The 29-year-old, 6-foot-4, 185-pound slugger hit .260 last season with 33 homers. He also stole 20 bases and was caught four times. He struck out 118 times in 128 games.According to Fox Sports, the Rangers don't seem inclined to deal Cruz because, while he is closing in on his 30th birthday, he has only played 304 career games, so his services come cheap. Last year he made $408,070.

Pujols wins third MVP
St. Louis first baseman Albert Pujols rarely disappoints the fans and he certainly didn't disappoint those who predicted he would win his third MVP award in 2009.Pujols hit .327, which is less than his career average of .334, and he got pitched around for two thirds of the season before Matt Holliday arrived to give him some protection. But he still made the most of his chances, hitting 47 homers, 45 doubles and driving in 135 runs despite racking up a career high 44 intentional walks to win the award unanimously -- the first Cardinals player to do so since Orlando Cepeda in 1967.A few misguided souls claimed that Holliday should have received the award b