Here’s a look at possible destinations for Matt Holliday in free agency:

St. Louis Cardinals
Matt Holliday finished the 2009 baseball season with the St. Louis Cardinals. However, since the Cardinals aren’t in a huge market and will have to break the bank to keep Albert Pujols around, many experts believe Holliday will end up elsewhere.

New York Yankees
The Yankees are coming off yet another championship but they are looking to get younger and more athletic. Holliday fits that bill and we all know the Yankees have enough money to make a play at him.

New York Mets
Since Holliday seems to play better in the National League, the Mets might make the most sense. They need another bat and Holliday could finally help the Mets reach the postseason.

Boston Red Sox
Another big money team, the Red Sox need a slugger to replace David Ortiz if Ortiz continues going downhill. For that reason, Holliday makes a lot of sense.

Matt Holliday is the big fish (Image: Zuma Press)

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Albert Pujols won the NL MVP award (Image: Zuma Press)

Pujols, who won the award unanimously, had very good stats across the board. He hit .327 with an on-base percentage of .443 and an OPS of 1.101. He totaled 47 homers, 135 RBIs, 124 runs, 45 doubles and 16 stolen bases.

Hanley Ramirez of the Florida Marlins finished second in the MVP balloting, while Ryan Howard of the Philadelphia Phillies finished third and Prince Fielder of the Milwaukee Brewers finish fourth.

The last player to unanimously win an MVP award was Ken Griffey Jr. in 1997. In the National League, it was Ken Caminiti in 1996.

If you missed it, Joe Mauer of the Minnesota Twins won the AL MVP.

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The good news for Looper last season is that he led the Brewers in victories with a record of 14-7. The bad news is that he didn’t pitch very well. In fact, he led all of Major League Baseball in runs allowed (123) and home runs allowed (39). The 35-year-old started 34 games and had an ERA of 5.22.

Although he’s coming off a poor year, a team will surely be interested in the free agent. He has pitched at least 175 innings and won at least 12 games in three straight years. In 2008, Looper had an ERA of 4.16.

From 1998 until 2006, Looper was a relief pitcher. He even picked up 103 saves, including 85 from 2003 through 2005. His experience in the bullpen may make him even more alluring in free agency.

Braden Looper - Milwaukee Brewers (Image: Zuma Press)

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Now there is a question that needs to be answered: Does Mark McGwire deserve our forgiveness? As a country, we usually give people a second chance. But that second chance usually comes after an apology. McGwire, on the other hand, hasn’t admitted to anything.

If McGwire wants to get back into the baseball world with his head held high, he should come clean. Tell us what he did. Tell us what he didn’t do. Put that ugly part of baseball history behind us and move forward.

McGwire could be a very good hitting coach but he needs to address some issues instead of sweeping it under the rug. If he doesn’t, McGwire could become more of a distraction than an asset for the Cardinals.

Mark McGwire is now a hitting coach for the Cardinals (Image: Zuma Press)

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After Ryan Ludwick hit a single to put the St. Louis Cardinals up 1-0, the Dodgers got a two-run blast from Matt Kemp — and never trailed again. Los Angeles ended up winning the ballgame 5-3.

Chris Carpenter, who is likely to win the 2009 NL Cy Young Award, didn’t fair well. In five innings, he gave up nine hits, four walks and four earned runs. Randy Wolf, the starter for the Dodgers, wasn’t much better. In 3.2 innings, he gave up six hits, five walks and two earned runs.

Game 2 of this series is Thursday. In an intruiging pitching matchup, Adam Wainwright takes on Clayton Kershaw. Wainwright had one of the best seasons in all of baseball and Kershaw is regarded as one of the best pitching prospects in recent history.

Matt Kemp was the hero for the Dodgers (Image: Zuma Press)

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In the second inning, Carpenter came to the plate with the bases loaded. The result? Carpenter hit a grand slam to put the Cardinals up 5-0. But he wasn’t done. In the fifth inning, Carpenter hit a two-run double. He finished the contest 2-for-3 with six RBIs.

On the mound, Carpenter went five scoreless innings and gave up only three hits and one walk while striking out six batters. St. Louis ended up winning the ballgame by a final count of 13-0. Carpenter’s outing upped his record to 17-4 and lowered his ERA to 2.24.

Commented Carpenter: “That was one of the funner days I’ve ever had.”

This extra publicity might give Carpenter an edge in the NL Cy Young Award race. He currently leads the NL in ERA and his wins are second to teammate Adam Wainwright. If he wins it, it’d be the second Cy Young Award of Carpenter’s career.

Chris Carpenter - St. Louis Cardinals (Image: Zuma Press)

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1. New York Yankees
After a rough start to their 2009 campaign, the Yankees have easily been the best team in baseball. As of late, they look like the clear cut World Series favorite.

2. St. Louis Cardinals
The Cardinals have been good for most of the season but right now they are playing especially well. If they can keep getting good pitching, Albert Pujols could supply enough runs by himself.

3. Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers got off to a very good start but it’s starting to look like they may have peaked too early. They need to catch a second wind to make a late push and get some momentum.

4. Los Angeles Angels
At the plate, the Angels don’t have any issues. They can score runs in their sleep. Pitching is the question mark that they will have to overcome.

5. Philadelphia Phillies
While they don’t always look elite, the Phillies can’t be overlooked right now. They obviously have the World Series experience that is very important at this time of year.

Can the Phillies win the World Series again in 2009? (Image: Zuma Press)

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Even when healthy this season, Soriano didn’t do much to justify his $17 million salary. For the year, he’s hitting .241 with 20 homers, 64 runs and 55 RBIs. In fact, 2009 could go down as Soriano’s worst year since becoming an everyday Major League Baseball player in 2001 for the New York Yankees.

While the Cubs are technically in second place in the NL Central, it is hardly a race, The St. Louis Cardinals lead the division by 11.5 games and show no signs of slowing down. Chicago at 67-66 are the only other team in the division over .500.

All things considered, don’t expect to see Soriano again this season. The Cubs have too much invested in him and will instead let him rest up for 2010.

Don't expect to see Alfonso Soriano in a Cubs uniform again this season (Image: Zuma Press)

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With the Cardinals, Smoltz will likely begin as a starting pitcher. However, down the line, he could switch to the bullpen. Many team insiders have speculated that if the team makes the playoffs, Smoltz would likely be the the Cardinals’ setup man.

As it stands, the Cardinals appear to have a good shot at making the 2009 postseason. They have a six game lead over the Chicago Cubs in the NL Central. The Milwaukee Brewers and Houston Astros are nine and ten games back, respectively.

Smoltz was released by the Red Sox after struggling as a starting pitcher. In eight starts, he had an ERA of 8.32 to go along with a record of 2-5.

During his possible Hall of Fame career, Smoltz has proven to be able to star both as a starter and in relief. The Cardinals will hope the 42-year-old can reclaim some of his past glory.

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Against the New York Mets, Pujols was 4-for-5 with two homers, three runs, five RBIs and a walk. His first homer came in the 8th inning but it was his home run in the tenth that was the story. With the bases loaded in extra inning, Pujols blasted a grand slam to put the contest out of reach.

When all was said and done, the Cardinals had a 12-7 victory over the Mets. After the Mets took a 7-4 lead in the fifth inning, the Cardinals came back to win by scoring the final eight runs of the game.

With the win, the Cardinals remain tied with the Chicago Cubs atop the NL Central. The loss dropped the Mets ten games behind the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East. It was New York’s third loss in a row.

Albert Pujols - St. Louis Cardinals (Image: Zuma Press)

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