Matt Holliday willing to defer money to help keep Albert Pujols

During a radio interview this morning Matt Holliday said he’d be willing to defer some of his salary in an effort to help the Cardinals sign Albert Pujols to a long-term deal.

Matthew Leach of MLB.com has a transcript of the comments:

I deferred $2 million a year for the whole contract and I would be willing, if they came to me and said, “Hey, this is what it’s going to take to get Albert done, would you do it again or do more?” Scott [Boras] probably wouldn’t like me to stay that, but if that’s what it took, I would be willing to do that.

Holliday also made it very clear that the Cardinals haven’t approached him about deferring any money and, when asked later by Leach, called the gesture “very hypothetical.” In other words, don’t expect it to happen. Plus, as Leach points out, what are the odds that a Pujols deal could hinge on an amount of money Holliday would be realistically willing to defer? Holliday has six years remaining on a seven-year, $120 million deal and it’s not like he’s going to defer $10 million per season or anything in that ballpark.