Throughout most of this offseason, I’ve been highly critical of the St. Louis Cardinals’ decision-making, especially regarding their Major League roster. The team had a chance to clear a path for younger players to thrive, but instead, they entered spring training with more uncertainties than solutions.
To be fair, if young pitchers were filling the rotation like young hitters are in the lineup, there would still be doubts. Andre Pallante has shown some promise, but Michael McGreevy’s sample size is small, Quinn Mathews hasn’t debuted yet, and former top prospect Matthew Liberatore has struggled significantly in the rotation at the big league level.
But that’s kind of the point. For the Cardinals, there’s a lot of value in gaining insight into these young pitchers this season. Giving them the chance to either succeed or fail will not only help determine who they can rely on in 2026 but also have a major impact on the club’s future trajectory.
Throughout the offseason, Steven Matz became a key factor in my thinking about whether the Cardinals would make the right call for the team’s long-term future, even if it meant giving up a rotation spot for a veteran starter.
I received some criticism for this at the time, but back in December, I wrote that I preferred the Cardinals to hold onto Matz and look to trade a starter like Erick Fedde instead. While I wasn’t opposed to the idea of Matz being traded, Fedde seemed like a better option to move. He could bring a solid return in a trade, and Matz, in the final year of his contract, could contribute in the bullpen and provide insurance for the rotation if needed.
My biggest concern was whether the Cardinals would actually stick to that plan. If spring training came around and the young pitchers were ready to step up, would they be willing to shift Matz to the bullpen before real games began?
Well, we got our answer on Sunday, and I’m happy to say I was pleasantly surprised by the team’s decision-making.
Allowing Matthew Liberatore a true opportunity to start over Steven Matz was the right move by the Cardinals
If you haven’t been following the Cardinals’ spring training games, Steven Matz has actually been one of the most effective pitchers so far in terms of performance. I typically don’t put much weight on spring training stats, but considering how badly Sonny Gray and Andre Pallante have struggled, Matz has impressed, posting a 2.29 ERA over five starts and 19.2 innings. Honestly, if you had told me he’d do that before camp started, I wouldn’t have believed the Cardinals would move him to the bullpen.
Would I really believe this organization—one with a long history of prioritizing contracts over young players proving themselves—would actually shift a veteran who’s performing well into a different role?
But they did it. They don’t deserve a huge round of applause for doing the right thing, but it’s worth noting when they do something “out of character,” especially at the start of a season where they claim to want to make more decisions like this.
Matthew Liberatore has been excellent in camp. I don’t think the Cardinals expected him to be in this position when camp began. In 16.2 innings, Liberatore has posted a 1.62 ERA and 0.78 WHIP, with his offspeed pitches grading out very well and the team showing more confidence in his fastball over extended stretches.
It’s entirely possible that by the end of April or May, Liberatore could flame out and end up back in the bullpen. But what excites me about this decision from the Cardinals is that they are giving him a real shot at a rotation spot. If it doesn’t work out, it’ll be Michael McGreevy’s turn in St. Louis, but if Liberatore succeeds, the Cardinals could have found another young arm like they did with Pallante last year.
Matz will still get opportunities to start this year. He’s set to be part of the six-man rotation when they switch to that in mid-April, but he’s clearly positioned as the “swing man” this season, rather than a guaranteed starter. If the big league club needs a spot start during a stretch of games, Matz could step in. If injuries occur or young pitchers aren’t performing, Matz will be there. And if he’s not needed in the rotation, we’ve seen he can perform in the bullpen.
I wasn’t sure the Cardinals would actually go this route, but here we are. I hope this is a sign of things to come. If pitchers like McGreevy and Mathews are still waiting for a shot by June, something will be wrong with how the Cardinals are handling things. But for now, this is a positive sign. If Liberatore can seize this opportunity, it could be a big step forward for the club.
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