With Opening Day less than a week away, nearly all of the top free agents have found homes. The exception is Greg Holland, the 32-year-old closer who last season saved 41 games and posted a 139 ERA+ for the Colorado Rockies. Throughout the winter, Holland made the most sense for the St. Louis Cardinals, whose bullpen lacked (and continues to lack) a proven closer.

Yet the Cardinals have abstained from signing Holland for this long, and it appears that they'll continue to do so -- even after assumed closer Luke Gregerson suffered a "mild" hamstring injury. According to MLB Network's Jon Paul Morosi, the Cardinals seem likely to turn to a committee approach in Gregerson's absence:

Neither Tyler Lyons nor Dominic Leone qualifies as a household name. Still, both are coming off impressive seasons. Lyons, a southpaw, fanned 68 batters in 54 innings and looked like one of the better left-handed relievers in the National League. Leone's track record is shorter, yet he struck out more than 10 batters per nine innings with the Toronto Blue Jays. The Cardinals thought well enough of Leone to trade Randal Grichuk for him (and a prospect).

Theoretically, the Cardinals have other options to trot out there should Lyons and Leone fail to get the job done. Bud Norris spent some time closing with the Los Angeles Angels last season, and Brett Cecil is accustomed to pitching in the late innings. The Cardinals could also turn to Mike Mayers, a 26-year-old rookie who has turned heads this spring.

St. Louis' tepid interest in Holland makes some sense. The same can't be said for Holland's continued non-employment. This would seem to be a fertile environment for a good arm with high-leverage experience: the pendulum has shifted in the league's thinking, with relievers again believed to be the key to postseason success. (Holland's old team, the Rockies, made point of inking three veterans to multi-year deals in an effort to buttress their bullpen.) But Holland's market seems to have been undercut by his injury history and the qualifying offer, as well as a third of the league foregoing the open market.

An injury seemed like the best way for Holland to land a gig before Opening Day. Alas, it just doesn't seem like Gregerson's will suffice. Perhaps the Texas Rangers or Arizona Diamondbacks, the two teams connected with him as often as the Cardinals, will step up in the coming days. Otherwise, Holland is going to find himself watching Opening Day from the outside looking in.