5. OF/DH Matt Holliday
Opening Day Age: 37
Stats: .246/.322/.461, 20 homers, 62 RBIs, 426 plate appearances

Skinny: All free agents can control their destiny and choose which team they want to join. But perhaps no one else in this class has more control than Holliday. He doesn’t need to keep playing. He’s had a great career. He has won a World Series ring. He’s made nearly $150 million in salary. His penultimate at-bat was a homer.

Once exceptionally durable, Holliday was limited to just 183 games in the past two seasons due to injuries. If he wants to keep going, his best bet is probably as a primary DH. If he wants to go that route, and leaves the NL, the Orioles and Camden Yards would be a good landing spot. But so would Yankee Stadium and several other hitter-friendly places.

He has the reputation of being a quality teammate and likely would mesh well in the Orioles’ veteran clubhouse. And, when healthy, he hits, hits for power and gets on-base – his lifetime OBP is .382 and his lifetime slugging percentage is .515. Although Orioles manager Buck Showalter likes having DH flexibility, he has employed DH-only players in the past (Vladimir Guerrero, Jim Thome, Pedro Alvarez).

Bottom line: If Holliday wants to continue his career as a DH, the Orioles would be on board. But that’s an ‘if’ only he can answer.

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