How will Holland's D.C. turnaround affect his market?

As our offseason coverage kicks into high gear, we're going to review each significant player on the Nationals roster. We continue today with Greg Holland, a midseason pickup who rediscovered his old form.

PLAYER REVIEW: GREG HOLLAND

Age on opening day 2019: 33

How acquired: Signed as free agent, August 2018

MLB service time: 7 years, 22 days

2018 salary: $14 million (Nats were only responsible for $161,150)

Contract status: Free agent

2018 stats (combined STL/WSH): 2-2, 4.66 ERA, 56 G, 3 SV, 46.1 IP, 43 H, 30 R, 24 ER, 2 HR, 32 BB, 47 SO, 1 HBP, 1.619 WHIP, 0.3 fWAR, -0.2 bWAR

Quotable: "I really don't know if there is one thing I can put my finger on. I know I have felt good the last few weeks. It has been a lot of different things. Turning the page and starting new and being welcomed here with open arms and fitting in right away has helped. Feeling healthy and repeating my mechanics. Those are things I tried to do with St. Louis, but for whatever reason it did not work out." - Holland on his turnaround after joining the Nationals

2018 analysis: On the heels of a 41-save season for the Rockies, Holland figured to be a top target of several teams last winter. But he got caught up in worst free agent market in a long time, and didn't finally agree to a deal until after opening day, when he accepted the Cardinals' one-year, $14 million offer.

Without having participated in spring training, Holland opened his season in the minors, but was pitching in the big leagues by April 9. That rush job proved to be a mistake: He walked four of the five batters he faced in his St. Louis debut and never did find his groove. A three-week stint on the disabled list with a hip impingement didn't help. Neither did a July stretch in which he gave up 13 runs in six innings and saw his ERA skyrocket to 7.92.

The Cardinals wound up releasing Holland, and a week later, a Nationals club desperate for healthy relievers scooped him up for the league minimum salary. It was a low-risk move, and it quickly paid off.

Holland battled some command issues in his Washington debut, but quickly figured things out. He was scored upon in only two of his 24 appearances and wound up with an 0.84 ERA and 0.891 WHIP for the team that gave him a second chance down the stretch.

2019 outlook: Holland is a free agent once again, and the market for him surely will be different this time around. The question club executives will be asking themselves is a simple one: Which version of 2018 Holland was the real one, the Cardinals version or the Nationals version?

Is there a chance the veteran right-hander would return to D.C.? He spoke highly of the organization and seemed to enjoy his stint here, albeit a brief one. The issue here, of course, is that the Nationals already have an All-Star closer in Sean Doolittle. They'd probably be interested in bringing Holland back as a setup man, but will he be more interested in seeing if another team is willing to offer a ninth-inning job?

Wherever he signs, Holland will be a big unknown heading into the 2019 season. Yes, he made some modifications to his delivery and approach (he used his slider less after joining the Nationals, relying more on fastballs and curveballs). But was that a sign of a sustainable turnaround or was it a blip? This is no spring chicken, and Holland has plenty of miles on his arm. Any team that signs him this winter will hope he can pick up where he left off in September but acknowledge he's no sure thing.