Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals' Matthew Liberatore Teases New Weapon Thanks to Trey Yesavage

The St. Louis Cardinals hurler has a new pitch at his disposal.
Patrick McAvoy|
Sep 21, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Matthew Liberatore (52) pitches against the Milwaukee Brewers during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
Sep 21, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Matthew Liberatore (52) pitches against the Milwaukee Brewers during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

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St. Louis CardinalsToronto Blue Jays

St. Louis Cardinals lefty Matthew Liberatore took a step in the right direction in 2025 and certainly could have more in the tank in 2026.

Liberatore fully transitioned to the starting rotation in 2025 and logged a 4.21 ERA across 29 starts to go along with a 122-to-40 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 151 2/3 innings pitched. The first three seasons of Liberatore's career were full of inconsistent roles. In 2024, he pitched in 60 games, including six starts. In 2023, he pitched in 22 games, including 11 starts. In 2022, he made nine appearances, including seven starts. Despite it all, Liberatore's ERA actually has gotten better each year over the last four seasons.

Now, he's entering the 2026 season knowing that his role is going to be in the rotation. Plus, he added a new weapon this offseason with a splitter. Liberatore was interviewed on "Foul Territory" and noted that he was inspired by Toronto Blue Jays hurler Trey Yesavage for the pitch.

The Cardinals lefty has a big season coming

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Matthew Liberatore
Feb 16, 2026; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Matthew Liberatore (32) throws a pitch during spring training workouts at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images | Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images

"Obviously, [Yoshinobu Yamamoto] has a great splitter, but he's a little shorter and from a much lower approach angle," Liberatore said. "So, the guy that kind of spurred the decision to start working on it was watching Trey Yesavage's splitter. He's super-steep approach-angle and I'm not quite that steep but I do have a relatively steep approach-angle and we figured if that was a pitch I could feel comfortable with, it could play really well for me."

Earlier in the offseason, Liberatore spoke to Jim Hayes and Lance Lynn on "Cardinal Territory" and hinted at a new "weapon" in his arsenal.

"There is a potential extra pitch in the works right now that I think can help me quite a bit against right-handed hitters. I'll break it out in the spring this year, but I've been throwing it in bullpens this offseason so far, and I think it could really be a weapon for me."

It sounds like the splitter could be that pitch. There's a lot to be excited about around Liberatore. He had a 4.21 ERA in 2025 in his 29 starts. Even last spring, there were questions about his role with the organization. That isn't the case any longer. Arguably, there isn't a bigger breakout candidate in the rotation right now.

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Patrick McAvoy
PATRICK MCAVOY

Patrick McAvoy's experiences include local and national sports coverage at the New England Sports Network with a focus on baseball and basketball. Outside of journalism, Patrick also is pursuing an MBA at Brandeis University. After quickly rising as one of the most productive writers on the site, he expanded his reach to write for Baseball Essential, a national baseball site in Sports Illustrated Media Group. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Inside The Cardinals, please reach out to Scott Neville: nevilles@merrimack.edu

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