The St. Louis Cardinals recently cut ties with former All-Star closer Greg Holland, as he struggled to get back to the form he once was. The Washington Nationals are hoping they can be the difference he needs to rejuvenate his career. The Nats reached an agreement with the reliever on Monday, just one week after the Cards parted ways with him.
Holland signed a one-year, $14 million contract with St. Louis this past off-season, but got off to a tough start by missing a month due to right hip impingement. After recovering from that, the veteran made 32 appearances and had an ERA of 7.92 out of the "Red-birds" bullpen. The Nationals recently made room for this move by trading reliever Shawn Kelley to the Oakland Athletics on Sunday.
The right-hander's best years came as a member of the Kansas City Royals. He had back-to-back All-Star seasons in 2013 and 2014. He finished those seasons with 47 and 46 saves respectively, as his ERA did not go over 1.50 in either year. He added a 32-save season before leaving the Royals in free agency and heading to the Colorado Rockies. He would make the National League All-Star team and put up 41 saves in his lone season in Denver. Despite the Nationals' struggles, they have not given up on this season and currently sit 4.5 games back in the NL East and in the NL Wild Card race.
Holland signed a one-year, $14 million contract with St. Louis this past off-season, but got off to a tough start by missing a month due to right hip impingement. After recovering from that, the veteran made 32 appearances and had an ERA of 7.92 out of the "Red-birds" bullpen. The Nationals recently made room for this move by trading reliever Shawn Kelley to the Oakland Athletics on Sunday.
The right-hander's best years came as a member of the Kansas City Royals. He had back-to-back All-Star seasons in 2013 and 2014. He finished those seasons with 47 and 46 saves respectively, as his ERA did not go over 1.50 in either year. He added a 32-save season before leaving the Royals in free agency and heading to the Colorado Rockies. He would make the National League All-Star team and put up 41 saves in his lone season in Denver. Despite the Nationals' struggles, they have not given up on this season and currently sit 4.5 games back in the NL East and in the NL Wild Card race.
