Cardinals Insider Reveals Team's Pitching Plans For Opening Day

The Cardinals have set their pitching staff for Opening Day.

Feb 12, 2025; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak takes questions from the media on the day pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training in Jupiter, Florida. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals came into Sunday looking to finalize their Opening Day roster. Their first game of the year is on Thursday, and they will play host to the Minnesota Twins.

And so, St. Louis officially finalized their roster, and they made a few puzzling decisions. They will at times go with a six-man rotation, which is a smart call, but who they chose to be a part of that rotation is a bit puzzling.

Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch revealed St. Louis' final decisions on their pitching staff for the 2025 Opening Day roster on Twitter.

"Matthew Liberatore opens season in rotation.

Steven Matz will be in bullpen, and then used later as a sixth starter when schedule demands," Goold tweeted.

"Michael McGreevy will begin year in Memphis.

Roster is set."

McGreevy pitched admirably in spring training. He even went five scoreless innings on Friday against the New York Mets and had seemingly done enough to secure a spot in St. Louis' starting rotation to open the 2025 season.

However, his omission from the roster is quite egregious. Liberatore only made one start this spring, and while he performed well in that start, he has performed better in relief for St. Louis.

Continuing to try him as a starter may not be the best idea for St. Louis, especially if they want to see what they have with their younger players. McGreevy is essentially blocked as a result of these puzzling roster decisions.

It will be interesting to see how these decision impact the team.

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