This is the Cardinals' lives on Holliday

It's been 48 hours, but the St. Louis Cardinals signing of outfielder Matt Holliday is still rattling like a earthquake tremor throughout Cardinal nation. The former batting champ will make the Lou his home for the foreseeable future, accepting a seven-year, $120 million dollar contract -- the largest in Cardinals history.

Any player who is pocketing $17 million a season had better be damn worth it, but is Holliday?



Let's forget about the whole game two of the NLDS in Los Angeles (I know Matt Holliday's scrotum is still trying to forget it) and evaluate Holliday for the regular season for the Cardinals. After being acquired in July, Holliday batted an unreal .359/.439/.667 in just over two months with the club.

And other than the drop heard around the Midwest, Holliday is a solid, above-average left fielder. Looking at the other left field option this offseason, Jason Bay, Holliday looks like the second incarnation of Jim Edmonds.

Really, you can love Bay all you want -- the man is a great hitter. But putting a glove on a street sign could provide the same level of defensive prowess.

Bay ended up signing for four years, $60 million deal the other day with the Mets. He was considered behind only Holliday for top outfield free agents.

So how the hell did Holliday get three more years and $60 million more dollars?

With inflation going on in the MLB, getting paid over $15 million really is not too mind blowing. In fact, I salute Bill "DeWallet" and GM John Mozeliak for getting Holliday for "only" $17 million a year. It's the same amount lesser players like Alfonso Soriano and Derek Jeter are making with their contracts.

But a guaranteed seven years with a no-trade clause? That is tougher to defend. Just think of all the things that will happen over the next seven years...

1. We'll have flying cars
2. Dakota Fanning and Miley Cyrus will be of age
3. I'll be in my late 20s (The horror)
4. Bud Selig will finally stop ruining baseball as the commissioner
5. Holliday will be 36 years old

Although he is approaching the wrong side of 30, Holliday has shown no sign of slowing down. He's on the edge of being a great hitter, only needing to take more walks to reach that plateau.

He has only been on the DL once his entire career, and has played in 155 games or more in three of the last four years. He is also an excellent baserunner, and though he'll probably never steal 28 bases again like in 2008, Cardinal fans should not have to worry about him being picked off base.

What Holliday does best, which is hardly ever praised, is his consistency. Even his down years are the envy of 80 percent of other MLB outfielders. He has never had a BA below .290, and his career OPS+ is 133... Not too bad.

Will he be able to do that for seven straight years? Probably not, but there is enough talent in Holliday to prove me wrong.