ST. LOUIS – All the hype and speculation surrounding Matt Holliday’s destination since hitting the MLB free agent market can come to a close.
The 29-year-old slugger signed a 7 year, $120 million deal with the St. Louis Cardinals, the same team he played for 
at the end of last season.
“Well, I think first of all going into free agency I had in the back of my mind that I really liked my time in St. Louis and felt it was a good fit for me and my family,” Holliday said when interviewed on a Tuesday ESPN radio show. “At the end of the day we decided that was best for us.”
Holliday, a three-time All Star, joined the Cardinals from Oakland last July and batted .353, sent 13 over the wall and batted in 55 runs in 63 games for St. Louis.
Holliday pulled a bonehead Charlie Brown move during last year’s playoffs when he dropped a routine liner to left field that would have been the final out of Game 2. Instead, his error kept a Dodger rally alive and allowed the Dodgers to coast to a three-game sweep.
Holliday believes his chances of getting to the World Series with the Cardinals is as great as going anywhere else. “Obviously, with Albert Pujols on the team you have a great opportunity to have a great team,” said Holliday. “Albert is the best player in the history of baseball in my mind. Hopefully between the two of us we can help do our part to win a World Series.”
Holliday also reflected on the size of his new contract. “When you’re a little kid growing up hoping to be a professional baseball player and hoping to play in the major leagues, I don’t think you ever think about the money,” Holliday said. “Now that you look at it, it’s a little overwhelming.”
With Pujols also playing with an active contract over $100 million, the Cardinals become only the third team in Major League Baseball to invest in two $100 million players.
The New York Mets’ Johan Santana and Carlos Beltran are $100 million guys and the New York Yankees have four; Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Mark Teixeira and C.C. Sabathia.
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