Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Dispatch reports that the Cardinals have been aggressively pursing free agent outfielder Matt Holliday, but in doing so they may be losing the opportunity to sign free agents such as Mark DeRosa.  The Cardinals and other teams have been reluctant to open the $100 million market which is stalling the Holliday, Jason Bay and John Lackey signings.

DeRosa’s agent Keith Grunewald has indicated that DeRosa maintains an interest in St. Louis, but other teams have inquired about his service.  The versatile DeRosa hit 23 home runs, drove in 78 RBI’s and hit .250 in 2009 for the Cardinals.

The stalling tactic for agent Scott Boras may be a positive for his clients .  As other free agents continue to sign for market rate, teams such as the Cardinals may be forced to pay a premium for players like Holliday since their plan B options have gone elsewhere.