Projecting Cardinals’ Best-Case Rotation for 2026 After Busy Offseason

The St. Louis Cardinals were active on the trade front this winter, dealing away Brendan Donovan, Willson Contreras, Sonny Gray and Nolan Arenado. However, they brought back a lot of solid pitching in exchange, some of which can be added to the starting rotation right away.

In the Gray and Contreras deals, they landed Hunter Dobbins and Richard Fitts. There is a lot more depth heading into the 2026 season than there was for 2025, and the Cardinals look to be in good shape as far as that is concerned.

Here is a look at the potential rotation for 2026 and what the best possible starting five would be.

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Projecting Cardinals' 2026 Rotation

Jun 20, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Hunter Dobbins (73) throws against the San Francisco Giants in the fourth inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images | Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

Projected Rotation

Pitcher	RH/LH
Matthew Liberatore	LHP
Dustin May	RHP
Michael McGreevy	RHP
Richard Fitts	RHP
Hunter Dobbins	RHP

The Cardinals could always experiment with a six-man rotation, just as they did last year. The other options are Kyle Leahy and Andre Pallante, and they also have some very intriguing options in the minor leagues such as Quinn Mathews, Tink Hence, Liam Doyle and Jurrangelo Cijntje.

But as far as Major League ready options go for the final two spots, Dobbins and Fitts make the most sense. Pallante struggled in 2025, and Leahy is unproven as a starter. While the Cardinals are rebuilding, it still makes sense to throw out the best possible rotation for 2026 and still have plenty of depth in case of an injury.

There is a little more upside to both Fitts and Dobbins. Dobbins did tear his ACL last season and ultimately missed most of the season. However, if he can come back stronger for 2026, he should be a viable option to fill the St. Louis rotation.

He was drafted by Chaim Bloom while Bloom was with the Boston Red Sox, so the new Cardinals' president of baseball operations has familiarity with him.

As far as the top three are concerned, McGreevy has shown a lot of potential over the last two years and is one of the best pitching prospects the Cardinals have developed in a long time. Liberatore showed a lot of potential last year with a hot start before hitting a wall in June, but another full year as a starter should run smoothly for him.

May needs to stay healthy, but he was able to do that for the most part in 2025.

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