Diehard Cardinals Fan-Turned St. Louis Reliever Out For Blood From Mets & Astros

The St. Louis veteran is on a mission to prove his doubters wrong

Apr 16, 2023; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; A general view of the St. Louis Cardinals scoreboard as a plane passes by during the seventh inning of a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

This past winter, the St. Louis Cardinals completed one of their quietest offseasons in franchise history but still made several vital moves.

Other than announcing that Chaim Bloom would supersede Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak in 2026, St. Louis replaced former hitting coach Turner Ward with Brant Brown, who has elevated the team's offense significantly from where it was last season.

Hiring Brown has proven to be the Cardinals' most effective offseason decision so far in 2025. However, Mozeliak signed one free agent who's off to a hot start and determined to make his childhood dream an unforgettable vengeance tour.

"The story of Phil Maton’s offseason is one of both frustrating heartburn and a heartwarming conclusion … at least, for now," MLB.com's John Denton wrote Sunday. "First: the offseason’s ending, which evolved into being a feel-good positive for Maton, 32. A native of Chatham, Ill., Maton grew up a diehard Cardinals fan. He and his family saw dozens of games at Busch Stadium II and III. So, when the Cards came calling midway through Spring Training and offering a contract to fill the setup role to All-Star closer Ryan Helsley, Maton was struck by the surreal full-circle nature of calling Busch Stadium -- the place where he cheered on Albert Pujols, Yadier Molina and Adam Wainwright -- his place of work."

Maton went unsigned this offseason until the Cardinals signed him to a one-year, $2 million contract on Mar. 13th. The nine-year veteran has posted an impressive 0-1 record with a 2.63 ERA, 17-to-2 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .212 batting average against and a 0.95 WHIP in 13 2/3 innings pitched across 15 appearances for St. Louis in 2025.

"The (Houston) Astros, the team he pitched with from 2021-23 and won a World Series with in ‘22, made him a couple of offers, but none to his liking for a proven pitcher of eight MLB seasons," Denton continued. "Basically, the process left Maton bitter and wondering what teams consider valuable. They also supplied the massive chip he’s carrying on his shoulder this season. 'Pretty much every team we play against, it's personal, especially the teams we negotiated with this winter,' said Maton, pointing to the Astros and (New York) Mets. 'It was a very frustrating offseason, and that's something that's going to fuel me throughout the year with every team we play.'"

Unfortunately, the Cardinals bullpen has been shaky thus far in 2025 -- ranking 25th with a 4.80 ERA -- but Maton has arguably been St. Louis' most reliable reliever -- even more so than Helsley who has two blown saves with a 3.60 ERA, 10-to-8 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .222 batting average against and a 1.60 WHIP in 10 innings pitched across 10 appearances this year.

St. Louis has one series remaining this season against the Mets from May 2nd-4th but won't see the Astros until 2026, unless both clubs somehow pull off improbable World Series runs. Luckily, it doesn't sound as if Maton's personal vendetta is limited to just New York and Houston, so hopefully, he'll continue to be a high-leverage hurler in the back of the Cardinals bullpen.

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