King: Yankees’ Interest in Matt Holliday Gaining Momentum

The Yankees are poised to ignite Major League Baseball’s Hot Stove following the completion of Wednesday’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement.  General manager Brian Cashman has made contact with nearly every notable free agent on the market, and it feels like it’s only a matter of time before a conversation materializes into a deal.

George A. King III of the New York Post hears from industry sources that the Yankees’ interest in Matt Holliday “is gaining legs.” King adds that the Yanks view the slugger as a fallback option to the more expensive hitters of the 2016-17 free-agent class, which includes ex-Yankee Carlos Beltran, Edwin Encarnacion and Mark Trumbo, among others.

Beltran and Encarnacion have been linked to New York throughout the offseason. MLB Network’s Jon Morosi recently listed the Yankees as final suitors for Encarnacion’s services. The former Blue Jay crushed 42 homers and drove in 127 runs last season, and is seeking a four- to five-year deal in the $100+ million realm.

Meanwhile, Beltran has also received heavy interest from the Red Sox and Astros. His Yankee narrative lasted for two-and-a-half seasons before he was traded to the Rangers for a package headlined by pitching prospect Dillon Tate. A reunion in New York, however, is a possibility.

The luxury-tax threshold will only be raised by $6 million in ’17, then incrementally up to $210 million over the next five years. Given that the Yankees still want to upgrade their starting rotation and bullpen, they may end up priced out of this year’s top-tier powerhouses. In addition to hitters, the Yankees are looking at Aroldis Chapman, Rich Hill, Jason Hammel and Boone Logan to fortify their pitching staff.

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Holliday, 36, is a 13-year veteran and seven-time All-Star who has spent time with the Cardinals, Rockies and Athletics. Amazingly, he has been an above-average hitter every season as far as the OPS+ metric is concerned. Those calculations include his down year in ’16, in which he posted a career-worst .782 OPS.

The Yankees envision Holliday as a fit for their designated hitter vacancy, which opened up after they sent Brian McCann to Houston. Holliday also provides passable insurance at first base and left field, where the team has Greg Bird/Tyler Austin and Brett Gardner, respectively.

Even though Holliday’s .246 batting average in ’16 was well below his career .303 mark, his 20 homers and encouraging 16.7 strikeout percentage (71 in 426 plate appearances) suggest he’s a solid at-bat each trip to the plate. It’s worth noting that he’s battled significant injuries the past two seasons — a strained groin in ’15 and a fractured thumb in ’16.

Next: NYY Pushing Hard for Rich Hill

On a short-term deal, Holliday makes a lot of sense for a transitioning Yankees club. Brian Cashman has spent the past year trading away his veteran bats (Beltran, McCann), releasing another (Alex Rodriguez), fielding interest on two current members (Gardner, Chase Headley), and if you gave him the chance, I’m sure he’d love to ship Jacoby Ellsbury‘s dreadful contract into another area code. Committing big bucks to a veteran slugger might not be something that Cashman and ownership are eager to do until more payroll is freed up.