LaRussa: We could have won without Holliday

JUPITER, Fla. -- Tony La Russa believes the St. Louis Cardinals could have won the NL Central without Matt Holliday last year. He concedes the finish likely would have been a lot tighter.

The Cardinals really took off after acquiring Holliday from the Athletics not long after the All-Star break, pulling away with a 20-6 record in August and leading the division by double digits much of the second half. Holliday batted .353 with 55 RBIs in 63 games, production that convinced the franchise to give him a seven-year, $120 million free agent contract in January.

Without Holliday, no doubt the Cardinals could not have afforded the 2-8 finishing slide that still left them with a 7½-game cushion over second-place Chicago.