We’re just 66 short days away from Pitchers and Catchers reporting for Spring Training, and baseball will be back in full force before we know it! Let’s do a mid-offseason reset after the first 6 weeks have resulted in quite a bit of roster churn so far.
ST LOUIS, MISSOURI – SEPTEMBER 3: Matthew Liberatore #52 of the St. Louis Cardinals is congratulated by Willson Contreras #40 of the St. Louis Cardinals as he leaves the game against the Athletics in the sixth inning at Busch Stadium on September 3, 2025 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) Getty Images
Subtractions – Sonny Gray and Miles Mikolas
Additions – Richard Fitts and Dustin May
Current projected rotation:
Andre Pallante/Kyle Leahy
Even with the addition of Dustin May I still see Matthew Liberatore as the leader of the staff as it’s currently constructed. Through his first 17 starts last season, Libby posted a 3.70 ERA and a 3.27 FIP through 97.1 IP. In his final 12 appearances, he posted a 5.13 ERA and a 5.38 FIP through 54.1 IP, resulting in a “tale of two halves” type of season. The greater sample size tells me he’s closer to the guy we saw through the first 3+ months than the last 2. It will be key for Liberatore to put together a full season of results in 2026, and after what he learned about his body, I expect a full season, not just half of top-of-the-rotation results.
Dustin May is your classic reclamation project and one that comes with considerable upside. “Gingergaard” as he’s affectionately referred to as he used to touch the upper 90s with regularity in his early days with the Los Angeles Dodgers. After Tommy John surgery and emergency esophageal surgery that saw him lose 40 pounds of body weight, the velo has ticked down significantly as a result. With May trying to build his weight back up, and subsequently his velo, along with a needed adjustment to his cutter to help unlock the rest of his arsenal, the Cardinals are taking a worthwhile gamble in a season that isn’t about results but growth and opportunity.
McGreevy and Fitts both profile as mid to back-end rotation arms, and they should serve as a nice foundational floor for the rotation and provide stable, consistent innings with slight upside for something more on any given start.
Andre Pallante was pretty awful for a majority of the season outside of a 6-8 start stretch mid-season and a lot of that can be attributed to his lack of command of his knuckle-Curve that routinely bounced 5 feet in front of the plate and was essentially a non-competitive offering. Once the opposition eliminated that pitch, it was just Fastball-Sinker, and for major league hitters, that’s too easy. Kyle Leahy was given the green light to use the offseason to prepare as a starter after spending 2025 as a multi-inning reliever, in a similar role that saw Matthew Liberatore use as a launching pad into the rotation after the 2024 season. I expect Leahy and Pallante to battle for the 5th spot in the rotation in spring training.
CINCINNATI, OHIO – AUGUST 29: Matt Svanson #49 of the St. Louis Cardinals talks with Jimmy Crooks #8 of the St. Louis Cardinals as they walk off the field after the ninth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on August 29, 2025 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Jimmy Crooks #8 of the St. Louis Cardinals made his MLB debut during the ninth inning. (Photo by Jason Mowry/Getty Images) Getty Images
Subtractions – Jorge Alcala, John King, Roddery Munoz, Anthony Veneziano
Additions – Scott Blewett, Zak Kent, Matt Pushard (Rule 5)
“In the Mix”: Andre Granillo, Zak Kent, Scott Blewett
Whether it’s Riley O’Brien or Matt Svanson closing out games in 2026, there is a level of upside, intrigue, and pure stuff that will allow the Cardinals to lock down the back end of games, despite the amount of experience at the back end. Cardinals fans should be encouraged by what’s at the very back end.
JoJo Romero is the subject of a lot of offseason talk, and the latest from Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch is that both the Yankees and Mariners have expressed interest in Romero this offseason, though with the acquisition of Jose Ferrer from Washington and the presence of Gabe Speier in Seattle, that’s no longer a destination. I’m very 50-50 on whether the Cardinals will trade Romero before the start of the season, as relievers are generally in higher demand at the deadline than in the offseason. However, given the team’s direction, it’s something I’m sure Chaim Bloom will execute a deal on if the right name comes across his phone. Other teams to keep an eye on for JoJo would be the New York Mets, who let Gregory Soto leave for Pittsburgh, and the Toronto Blue Jays, who missed out on their larger pursuits of Edwin Diaz, Robert Suarez, and Raisel Iglesias.
Ryan Fernandez and Chris Roycroft will be the first to tell you that their 2025 seasons were ugly and unacceptable in their eyes. If this were a contention season, neither would be considered favorites for a roster spot going into next season, but because they have the most big league experience remaining in the middle reliever group in the organization, they appear to have the inside track at locking down a chance at a rebound year. Obviously, this could change throughout the offseason, but as things stand now, this is who I expect to fill those roles.
Nick Raquet (Ruh-Kay), not (Rack-It), is the only other lefty reliever on the 40-man roster outside of JoJo Romero currently and I dont expect the Cardinals to stall the development of a Quinn Matthews or Brycen Mautz and add them to the big league bullpen thus Raquet remains. Again, this is another spot that can change based on additional talent acquisition, but as it stands now, this is what makes the most sense after parting ways with John King.
Gordon Graceffo will likely have to battle with Roycroft, Fernandez, Granillo, Kent, Blewett, Pushard, and Pallante to earn his spot in the bullpen. We saw enticing flashes from Graceffo last season as he showed some of the big-time stuff that made him so enticing as a prospect a couple of seasons ago, and what appears to be the best way to get the most out of him going forward is shorter bursts and max efforting those shorter appearances.
Matt Pushard was one of the 10 players I wrote about a couple of weeks ago as a potential Rule 5 target, ironically, the least interesting, but to still get it right was really cool, I believe 6 or 7 (six seven) of the players I wrote about were selected. Featuring a mid-90s fastball and two distinct breaking balls, Pushard should have the ability to stick at the big league level and have some level of success.
Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
Remember this is “Where things stand today,” not projecting forward. The likely trades of Brendan Donovan and Nolan Arenado should influence the way this looks two months from now. Willson Contreras and Lars Nootbaar are still seeing their names pretty regularly in the rumor mill as players of interest for opposing clubs, but the Cardinals have been staunch in their asking prices for their players, and rightfully so. Bloom would be doing the organization a disservice by selling assets for less than their worth for the sake of just making a move.
Ivan Herrera is going to be given every chance to be the starting catcher this spring. If Willson Contreras remains, he’s your starting 1B, but if he goes, expect Alec Burleson to assume the role of every-day 1B, which could influence the corner outfield picture. Brendan Donovan is likely to be traded for a significant return, which would open the door for top prospect JJ Wetherholt and big league holdovers Nolan Gorman and Thomas Saggesse. Masyn Winn is written in pen at SS, so we move on. Victor Scott is working diligently on improving his offensive game this offseason after an offseason of making himself a gold glove caliber centerfielder. There’s no reason to expect him not to be the starting centerfielder on opening day. Jordan Walker is being told he has to earn his way into the everyday lineup going into 2026, but with the amount of investment they have in Walker, the expectation is that he will be in the lineup as an everyday player with one last chance to stick as a big leaguer with the St. Louis Cardinals.
Left field is such an X factor to me. If the Cardinals retain Lars Nootbaar, I don’t expect him to play LF regularly to start the season and may DH as he works back from double heel surgery. If Willson Contreras is traded and Alec Burleson moves to 1B permanently, that opens up an everyday spot. I know Nathan Church has fans who would stump for him to be given an everyday chance, as well as Matt Koperniak. I don’t see that as a likely option, and perhaps, like Dustin May, the Cardinals could seek a 1-year reclamation outfielder to fill that LF spot. I speculated earlier in the offseason that Michael Conforto would be a worthwhile bet as ALL of his peripheral numbers suggested he was the most likely player to experience positive regression in 2026. Conforto would provide thump and presence in a lineup starved for power, and if he can recapture his pre-2025 form, he would be a VERY enticing option for contending clubs to add at the deadline and push the rebuild forward.
The Nolan Arenado saga CONTINUES into its 2nd offseason, and Chaim Bloom has been adamant that the team will NOT outright release Arenado. This, of course, is the right messaging to put out; any team that might have middling interest at best wouldn’t be willing to engage in any type of trade talk instead of just waiting for an outright release and taking a run at signing Arenado for league minimum. It’s messaging to retain leverage in negotiations, so take it with a grain of salt. Assuming Arenado is traded would open up 3B for Nolan Gorman and Thomas Saggese to battle for every day opportunities. Though Cardinals fans should expect this to drag into February, as dominoes Alex Bregman and Eugenio Suarez will have to go first before teams pivot to Arenado.
Aug 4, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yohel Pozo (63) singles to right field and scores second base Garrett Hampson (13) in the top of the ninth inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
“In the mix”: Bryan Torres, Jose Fermin, Cesar Prieto, Matt Koperniak, Jimmy Crooks III
I know the biggest debate here is going to revolve around Crooks and Pages. The way I see it, how do the Cardinals view Pedro Pages? A reliable floor who can handle a big league staff and has the defensive acumen to throw runners out with one of the strongest throwing arms behind the plate. Jimmy Crooks has really solid defensive ability and has earned praise for his work with the pitching staff as well. There are questions about what the offense will be at the next level, and if Herrera fails to take hold of the starting catcher position, I expect that they would turn to Pages, whom they trust until Leonardo Bernal is ready as soon as 2027.
Yohel Pozo is another backup catching option who also showed the ability to pinch hit in key situations and deliver. Being on a split contract, there is no guarantee he makes the opening day roster, but the organization really likes Pozo and was a positive clubhouse presence last season, winning the Daryl Kile award.
Saggese and Church appear to be the most likely in line to earn bench spots/spot start opportunities as well as potential late-game defensive replacements. Bryan Torres has a unique hit tool and plate recognition abilities that would make him a pest off the bench. Jose Fermin had a 154 wRC+ in 50-ish plate appearances last season. Small sample, BUT after what we experienced between Barrero, Vilade, and Hampson last season, Fermin’s production would be an upgrade over those pieces. Cesar Prieto and Matt Koperniak would likely have to completely overwhelm in their opportunities in spring to earn bench spots going into next season, but as 40-man options, they at least are on the radar.
So far, a LOT of the changes have come on the pitching side of things, as is customary in the offseason. Pitching dominates the sport, and thus is typically the more sought-after commodity early in the offseason. This also furthers why Chaim Bloom has been seeking as many avenues to increase the organization’s pitching, as it elevates a team’s floor and can also be used as the most valuable commodity to trade when the time comes for the team to push for the playoffs again.
In the midst of so much movement in the offseason, I think it’s important to reset where we are as we continue to look forward. I still expect a lot to change on the offensive side of the Cardinals roster, but there’s no telling at what pace those changes occur. While Bloom has indicated addressing the future with aggressive intent, there is still a lot of offseason to go, and patience is important as Bloom and Co. continue to work through deals and opportunities.