Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals 25-Year-Old Making Case For Surprising Role

The Cardinals have some tough decisions to make
Patrick McAvoy|
Feb 26, 2021; Jupiter, Florida, USA; A general view of the St. Louis Cardinals logo on the stadium at Roger Dean Stadium during spring training workouts. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images
Feb 26, 2021; Jupiter, Florida, USA; A general view of the St. Louis Cardinals logo on the stadium at Roger Dean Stadium during spring training workouts. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images | Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

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St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals are still loaded with veterans throughout the roster after months of trade rumors.

With the Cardinals not making as many trades as initially expected when the 2024 Major League Baseball season ended, there are fewer roster spots to go around. It was said that the Cardinals wanted to go with a youth movement in 2025, but that's not going to be the case.

The starting rotation specifically is full of veterans right now with Sonny Gray, Miles Mikolas, Erick Fedde, and Steven Matz at least all in the mix for starting jobs. There has been a lot of chatter that Andre Pallante or Michael McGreevy could land the fifth spot in the rotation or maybe even the final two spots if someone like Matz were moved to the bullpen or a trade is made.

While this is the case, The Athletic's Katie Woo shared that Matthew Liberatore also is in the mix for a starting spot, although he hasn't been spoke about as much.

"Sonny Gray, Erick Fedde and Miles Mikolas have three of the five rotation spots locked up," Woo said. "That leaves Steven Matz, Andre Pallante, Michael McGreevy and Matthew Liberatore to compete for the remaining jobs. Yes, Liberatore has firmly established himself as a rotation candidate despite his success as a multi-inning reliever last season. The club cited organizational depth as the reason for stretching Liberatore out to start the spring, while acknowledging that it’s easier to cut innings down if needed than ramp them up.

"It’s also what was deemed best for Liberatore’s preparation — he likes to throw and use his entire arsenal, and there are many more opportunities to do that as a starter in spring than a reliever. But Liberatore’s stuff has played up this spring and has caused the organization to consider him for a rotation role."

Liberatore hasn't gotten as much buzz as some of the other guys, but he has a 1.86 ERA in 9 2/3 innings pitched in Spring Training. Could he end up landing a surprise role in the rotation?

More MLB: Cardinals 28-Year-Old Stepped Into Paul Goldschmidt's Role: Insider

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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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