Cardinals outfielder Matt Holliday told the Boston Herald that he “thought there was a chance” that the Red Sox would sign him when he became a free agent following the 2009 season.

Holliday, who re-upped with the Cardinals for $120 million over seven years, said that the Red Sox had expressed an interest in him, and that the team was determined to finish the offseason with either Holliday or starter John Lackey. When things didn’t work with Holliday, they used that money in an attempt to improve their rotation with Lackey.

“At one point they were trying to decide whether to try to sign me or Lackey,” Holliday told the Herald. “They ended up signing Lackey. That was the money they had kind of earmarked for me.”

Holliday got to know the Red Sox on the biggest stage, as he faced them as a member of the Rockies in the 2007 World Series. After being traded to the A’s and then the Cardinals, he hit the open market with the Red Sox, among others, in mind.

“I liked playing there in the World Series,” he said. “They were a team I was interested in. I knew some people in the organization and they were obviously very competitive, with a chance to win the World Series every year. They had everything I was looking for. And so did St. Louis – but I was definitely considering Boston if they had stayed in it.”