by BY JOE STRAUSS ¿ jstrauss@post-dispatch.com > 314-340-8371 , St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Club executives are scheduled to begin meeting this afternoon for parts of no more than three days at a hotel attached to O'Hare Airport. There will be no oceans, no golf courses and little expectation of a high-decibel takeoff to the offseason.

"I'd say the chances of us making anything happen there is very small," said Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak, a central mover during last November's weeklong meeting at Dana Point, Calif. "My expectation is that this will be much more about MLB business."

Mozeliak believes a significant number of high-profile player agents may abstain from this year's scene, contrary to the scenes that transpired in a Ritz-Carlton lobby last year. Those meetings became a stage for Scott Boras to announce pitcher Greg Maddux's imminent retirement and Cardinals manager Tony La Russa's midweek arrival as trade talks intensified over then-Colorado Rockies left fielder Matt Holliday.

Holliday again represents a centerpiece for conversation, though the pace for talks remains unknown as he pursues free agency after a year in which he was traded from Colorado to the Oakland A's and then to the Cardinals .

This week's meetings occur a week before the free agent market officially opens for business. For now, clubs may only talk contract with their own free agents. Mozeliak underscored the Cardinals' desire to retain Holliday but also concedes it is a foregone conclusion that Holliday wants to fully test his market.

While Mozeliak is lowering expectations for activity this week, the Cardinals must confront difficult questions quickly as they weigh possible options for a deterrent behind their presumptive three-time NL MVP, Albert Pujols.

The Cardinals acquired Holliday for three prospects, including 2008 first-round pick Brett Wallace, to augment an enigmatic, hot-and-cold lineup that lacked protection for first baseman Pujols.

With Holliday a free agent, the club again needs to retool but this time with its minor-league system significantly depleted by last summer's trade activity.

If the Cardinals hope to retain Holliday for an average $17 million a season, they are likely to be disappointed. Boras is believed committed to finding a far more lucrative deal for Holliday than the eight-year, $136 million deal left fielder Alfonso Soriano accepted to sign with the Chicago Cubs in November 2006.

Mozeliak insists he has contingencies in case Holliday defects. Boras has tied Holliday's market to the eight-year, $180 million deal the New York Yankees bestowed upon first baseman Mark Teixeira last winter. That deal's $22.5 million annual value represents sticker shock to a franchise that has publicly stated its desire to sign Pujols to a lifetime contract before next spring.

The Cardinals are among the teams with interest in Boston Red Sox free agent left fielder Jason Bay, who is likely to command fewer years at a lower annual average salary than Holliday while also offering an option in the cleanup spot. Bay has averaged 31 home runs and 103 RBIs while taking 2,831 at-bats the last five seasons, compared to Holliday's average of 28 home runs and 107 RBIs in 2,837 at-bats in the same span.

The Los Angeles Angels denied the Cardinals a shot at right fielder Bobby Abreu by signing him last week to a two-year, $19 million extension. However, Jermaine Dye, who turns 36 in January, and ex-Cincinnati Reds great hope Austin Kearns are among those joining the free agent pool after their former clubs declined to assume their options for 2010.

The availability of outfielder Xavier Nady after season-ending ligament replacement surgery offers a shorter-term solution. Nady, who turns 31 next week, is a career .308 hitter against lefthanded pitching and managed 97 RBIs in 2008 while splitting time between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the New York Yankees.

The Cardinals publicly retain interest in bringing back free agent Mark DeRosa, but Mozeliak also has said he believes rookie David Freese should get first shot next spring training to win the opening day third base job.

Should the Cardinals hope to create damage in front of Pujols rather than behind him, they could look at the Angels' Chone Figgins, the American League walks leader who also stole 42 bases last season. Figgins has divided his career between third base and the outfield, and his ability to switch-hit would complement a lineup offering Skip Schumaker and Colby Rasmus as its only lefthanded options. Figgins is more productive as a lefthanded hitter than he is righthanded.

Mozeliak is also examining the landscape for a starting pitcher to fill one of two vacancies created by free agents Joel Pi?eiro and John Smoltz. Mozeliak has indicated the club will promote an organizational pitcher such as lefthander Jaime Garcia, Mitch Boggs or Blake Hawksworth to cover one spot in the rotation while seeking a short-term veteran solution for the other.

The Cardinals also need to retool their bench. They outrighted infielder Joe Thurston off the 40-man roster last week. Outfielder Rick Ankiel, backup catcher Jason LaRue and shortstop Khalil Greene are free agents.

Beyond the projected starting lineup, Julio Lugo is the only position player with more than one year of major-league service.

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Cardinals' POSSIBLE ALTERNATIVES TO Matt Holliday (2009 stats

Jason Bay LF .267 BA 36 HR 119 RBI Jermaine Dye RF .250 BA 27 HR 81 RBI Austin Kearns RF .195 BA 3 HR 17 RBI Xavier Nady RF .286 BA 0 HR 2 RBI Chone Figgins 3B, OF .298 BA 5 HR 54 RBI

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