Cardinals facing decision on Garcia for 2017

ST. LOUIS — While the Cardinals brought some closure to Matt Holliday’s contract situation last week by acknowledging their intentions to decline his club option, a decision remains to be made on lefty starter Jaime Garcia. He’s the third-longest tenured member of the organization, though unlike the other two (Yadier Molina and Adam Wainwright), Garcia’s return to St. Louis in 2017 is not guaranteed.

The Cardinals exercised the first of two club options they had on Garcia last winter. Now, the organization must decide if it wants to do so again on a $12 million option for ’17. If it’s not exercised, the club will pay a $500,000 buyout. A final decision must be made within five days of the conclusion of the World Series.

As of Sunday, when the Cardinals’ season ended one win shy of a tiebreaker game, Garcia had no indication of the club’s plans.

“I understand it’s business, and that they have to do the best thing for the team,” the 30-year-old said as he packed up his belongings. “But no matter what happens, I’ll be good.”

That’s because, despite disappointing season results, Garcia believes he enters the offseason better positioned for success than he’s been in years. That confidence hinges largely on health, which, for the first time since 2011, was not an issue for Garcia …

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