IMAGE: St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Matthew Liberatore (52) pitches against the Milwaukee Brewers during the first inning at Busch Stadium. / Jeff Curry / Imagn Images
Cardinals’ Pitching Depth Faces Reality Check After Injury-Free 2025
ORLANDO, Fla. – The St. Louis Cardinals pulled off something in 2025 that almost defies belief in today’s game: not a single big-league pitcher on the roster hit the injured list with an arm issue after Opening Day. That kind of health is virtually unheard of, and while it was a blessing in the moment, it’s not a blueprint anyone can count on going forward.
And the Cardinals know it.
“If the season started today, I would say I would not be super comfortable with the depth that we have,” said Chaim Bloom, the team’s president of baseball operations, during the Winter Meetings. “It doesn’t, so we have some time.”
Bloom made clear that his concern isn’t a knock on the pitchers currently in the fold. But the math is pretty straightforward: with Sonny Gray traded and Miles Mikolas gone via free agency, St.
Louis is suddenly without its two most seasoned and dependable starters from last season. That’s a tough hole to fill, especially for a team that isn’t going all-in on 2026 but also isn’t looking to punt the year entirely.
Right now, the most experienced returning starter is Andre Pallante, who had a rough go of it in 2025 and isn’t even guaranteed a rotation spot heading into spring training. That leaves lefty Matthew Liberatore as the closest thing the Cardinals have to a rotation leader. Liberatore has made 53 career starts across four seasons, and while much of that time was marked by inconsistency, he turned a corner last season and settled in as a reliable middle-of-the-rotation arm.
The question now is whether he can take another leap-this time into a true front-line role. That’s a big ask, but it’s the kind of internal growth the Cardinals are banking on as they try to build a sustainable contender without mortgaging the future.
Manager Oli Marmol echoed that sentiment, saying the team is actively looking to add another starter but also working to develop the arms they already have.
“Chaim’s been clear about wanting to add another [pitcher],” Marmol said. “Who that is and what that looks like and the résumé that comes with that is an unknown at the moment, but what you try to do in the immediate is have conversations with the Liberatores and the [Michael] McGreevys and allow them to take that next step in their careers.”
If Liberatore and McGreevy are penciled into two of the five rotation spots, there’s plenty of room for reinforcements. Pallante, Richard Fitts, and Kyle Leahy are all in the mix, but none are locks. That leaves the Cardinals exploring both the free agent and trade markets for help.
Free agents like Aaron Civale, Tyler Mahle, or Germán Márquez-pitchers with upside but also recent injury or performance concerns-could be fits. On the trade front, moving a valuable position player like Brendan Donovan might open the door to acquiring a more established arm.
This time last year, the Cardinals were mapping out a plan to ease McGreevy into the rotation with spot starts, hoping he’d be ready for a larger role by midseason. That plan played out more or less as intended, even as Erick Fedde struggled and was eventually designated for assignment instead of flipped at the deadline.
One name to keep an eye on is left-hander Quinn Mathews, who may be the most promising starting prospect in the system behind 2025 first-round pick Liam Doyle. Mathews battled through injuries and some growing pains last season, logging just 99 innings over 24 starts.
His strikeout ability is still there, but his walk rate ticked up, and his strikeouts per nine dipped. Bloom remains optimistic about Mathews’ ceiling but isn’t ready to rush him.
“The sky’s the limit for Quinn,” Bloom said. “I think he finished better than he started, for sure, but there’s still some things, hopefully some lessons that he can apply, and still some things you’d like to see him do to show that he’s really conquered [Triple-A].”
That likely puts Mathews on a similar developmental track as McGreevy had last year-starting the season in Triple-A with the potential to contribute later on.
As for the front office’s strategy, Bloom pushed back on the idea that the team must trade from its position player surplus before diving into free agency. That flexibility could allow the Cardinals to strike quickly if the right opportunity presents itself, even before the Winter Meetings wrap up.
While much of the focus is on building for the future, the Cardinals still have to field a competitive team in 2026. And that means avoiding the kind of rotation collapse that could derail both the present and the long-term plan.
Last year’s staff held together surprisingly well, but that was more duct tape than concrete. This offseason is about building something sturdier.
“You really want to craft [a plan] around what your players can handle, what they’ve shown they can handle, what you think they can handle,” Bloom said. “There’s a lot that goes into it. You have to be prepared to adjust.”
The Cardinals aren’t looking for quick fixes-they’re looking for sustainable solutions. But that doesn’t mean they can afford to stand still. With the rotation in flux and innings to fill, the next few weeks could go a long way in determining how 2026 plays out-and how quickly this retooling effort turns into a return to contention.
