Cardinals Hurler From Red Sox Trade Projected to Miss Opening Day Roster

It's going to be a tough battle for those rotation spots...

Oct 4, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Detailed view of St. Louis Cardinals hat and glove in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the ninth inning at Turner Field. The Braves defeated the Cardinals 2-0. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

While the St. Louis Cardinals have one of the weaker projected starting rotations in the league this year on paper, there's still a lot of competition to monitor.

The Cardinals traded away their No. 1 starter from last season in Sonny Gray, but they brought in a slough of less experienced arms to compete for several rotation spots. One of those competitors came back from the Boston Red Sox in the trade for Gray: 26-year-old righty Richard Fitts.

Fitts is an exciting project for the Cardinals, as he's seen 14 starts at the big-league level over the last two seasons and occasionally flashed some electric stuff. But one of the first expert projections of the spring didn't favor the Alabama native's chances to make the cut.

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Cardinals' projected five starters from MLB.com

Aug 30, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Dustin May (85) pitches against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images | Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

On Tuesday, MLB.com's Manny Randhawa projected the following five starters to crack the St. Louis rotation: Matthew Liberatore, Andre Pallante, Michael McGreevy, Kyle Leahy, and Fitts' former Boston teammate Dustin May.

"Liberatore made the transition to full-time starter last season, posting a 4.21 ERA over 29 starts," Randhawa wrote. "The Cards signed May to a one-year deal earlier this offseason. Pallante and McGreevy were in the rotation last year.

"Leahy will look to convert to a starting role after having been a reliever in all but one outing (his final appearance last season) to this point in his career (3.64 ERA over 138 1/3 innings)."

Fitts' major league experience thus far has amounted to a 3.97 ERA in 65 2/3 innings, and he's coming off a season that was interrupted by a pectoral strain and elbow neuritis. Another potential disadvantage is that he has two minor-league options, whereas Leahy has none and the Cardinals probably won't want to waive him.

Obviously, Fitts' entire Cardinals tenure will not be defined by the decision at the end of spring training. But it would help his confidence to get off on the right foot, and the fan base's opinion of the ongoing rebuild would improve if he succeeded out of the gates.

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