Buster Olney of ESPN The Magazine reports that the St. Louis Cardinals are optimistic about reaching a deal with free agent outfielder Matt Holliday.  Holliday has turned down previous offers from the Cardinals and the Boston Red Sox this off season.

Now that Jason Bay has signed a contract that averages $16.5 million per season, Holliday’s agent, Scott Boras, is believed to be asking teams for $18 million a year.

You can read the economic decision of the Jason Bay and Matt Holliday deals here.

You can see Jason Bay’s statistics here.
You can see Matt Holliday’s statistics here.