WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The St. Louis Cardinals must address two questions before they break camp on Sunday: Who is the starting center fielder, and who is in the starting rotation?
Neither makes for an easy answer.
The Cardinals are contemplating opening the season with a six-man rotation, manager Oli Marmol said Monday morning, though no decision is set. The club has finalized Sonny Gray as its Opening Day starter, and Erick Fedde and Miles Mikolas will slot in behind him to start the year, assuming the team stays on track with its current pitching schedule. Steven Matz, Andre Pallante, Matthew Liberatore and Michael McGreevy are all candidates to round out the rotation, though whether that rotation includes two or three spots continues to be up in the air.
“We’re discussing it a decent amount this morning,” Marmol said ahead of the Cardinals’ 6-2 exhibition win over the Washington Nationals. “We’ll finish the conversations by this afternoon. By the end of the day, we want real clarity as to what that looks like.”
That’s a St. Patrick’s Day Winner! pic.twitter.com/m7ZWbdnmyU
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) March 17, 2025
Performance will not be the sole factor in these decisions. If it were, McGreevy would have his case made. He’s allowed two earned runs over 11 and 2/3 innings in four appearances (three starts) with eight strikeouts and has thoroughly impressed Marmol and his staff.
“He’s showed us a lot of the same (as last year), and I mean that in a really positive way,” Marmol said of McGreevy. “He’s very consistent in what he brings to the table and how he goes about it. His results show that he knows who he is, and he’s comfortable about it. I’ve been really pleased with what we’ve seen in this camp with him.”
But a variety of other factors will be taken into consideration, including what’s best for the player and the team’s long-term outlook. The Cardinals know what they have in Steven Matz (who has looked strong this spring in terms of velocity, sustainability and execution) and value loading up their rotation with experience. While the emphasis this spring was supposed to be on creating playing time for young players, the rotation has always seemed to be the exception — at least to start the year. The reason? St. Louis’ pitching depth is thin in Triple A, and the Cardinals believe Matz can help eat innings alongside Fedde and Mikolas — presuming he stays healthy. The rebuttal here is that Matz has suffered multiple injuries in all three of his seasons in St. Louis.
An alternative to using Matz in the rotation would be to use him as a long man in relief, which is something the club has done before. All signs point to Pallante in the rotation to start the year. Given the fact that he was the club’s best-performing pitcher in the second half of last season (his 3.47 ERA led all starters), he deserves the chance. However, Matthew Liberatore has arguably been the most impressive pitcher all spring. The Cardinals decided to stretch him out as a starter coming into the spring — even after he emerged as a standout long reliever last year — citing the aforementioned slim pitching depth. Liberatore has run with the opportunity, allowing two earned runs over 12 2/3 innings with seven strikeouts and just to walks.
From a speculation standpoint: The club’s contemplation over a six-man rotation seems to hinge on how best to use Liberatore — whether that be as a starter or a reliever — and how to construct the remaining spots. The Cardinals are planning for Liberatore to be on the Opening Day roster, with president of baseball operations John Mozeliak already declaring as much earlier in the week. What is best for McGreevy’s future is also at play here. After toying with their top pitching prospects usages for years, it appears the Cardinals are set on ensuring McGreevy has a defined role this season.
“Any time you make a decision on guys, a lot more goes into play than just performance,” Marmol said. “You have to weigh all of it to make sure you’re making the right decision for the player, the rest of the players involved and then for the long-term of the organization.”
The first two weeks of the schedule do not bode well for a six-man rotation. The Cardinals have three off days in their first 15 days of the season (March 28, April 3 and April 10), though extra rest to start the season isn’t a bad thing. The team must also consider its lack of major-league-ready options in the minor leagues. The Cardinals’ immediate depth took two hits when Zack Thompson (lat strain) and Drew Rom (shoulder soreness) went down with injuries early in camp. The team needs at least one starter in Triple A in case of injury, or else it risks exposing itself to the same situation it experienced last May: having only four starters for a considerable amount of time. That may seal McGreevy’s fate to open the season, regardless of his strong showing. A decision about a five- or six-man rotation is pending, but the choice itself is much more complex than it may appear.
Bullpen rounding into form, Phil Maton on track for Opening Day
St. Louis reassigned right-hander Nick Anderson to minor-league camp on Monday morning, making its bullpen all but official. Seven names look to be locked: Ryan Helsley (closer), Phil Maton (right-handed set-up), JoJo Romero (left-handed set-up), Ryan Fernandez, John King, Kyle Leahy and Chris Roycroft. If the Cardinals use six starters, this will be their relief corps. If they use the traditional five starters, Liberatore seems like the logical fit here.
Maton, who the Cardinals signed on Thursday, has already thrown a live batting practice and is set to take on a simulated game shortly. The hope is he will be able to pitch in at least one Grapefruit League game before spring training ends. Anderson will remain with the organization for the time being, but he does have an upward mobility clause in his contract that allows another club to add him to its 40-man roster before Opening Day. For now, he’ll be assigned to Memphis.
Victor Scott II continues to impress, but center field still undecided
Victor Scott II clubbed his second homer of the spring today, raising his spring average to .371 and his OPS to 1.133. From a performance standpoint, he is the clear front-runner for the starting job. But as discussed in a recent roster projection, the team’s plan to somewhat platoon center field could lead it to start Michael Siani regardless of performance.
VS2 showed off the power in the 7th with a solo blast! 💥 pic.twitter.com/F312tyqpuz
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) March 17, 2025
That Siani has had a poor spring only complicates the matter. Siani, who was scratched due to illness before first pitch on Monday, is just 4-for-35 this spring. Still, he wowed the organization with his stellar center-field defense last season and has the upper hand from that standpoint. But Scott has left positive impressions across the board, with Marmol saying as much on Monday.
“He dialed into getting better, and he committed to doing that early on this offseason,” Marmol said. “So credit to him. He’s taken some really good strides.”
The Cardinals seem to be leaning towards an offense-first outlook for their lineup, meaning Lars Nootbaar will see reps in center field, despite Scott and Siani profiling as much better defenders. This is designed to ensure Brendan Donovan, Jordan Walker, Nolan Gorman and Alec Burleson can all see consistent playing time and ensure there are enough at-bats to go around. Whoever wins the center-field job will likely not start every day. The organization is still weighing if that is what’s best for Scott, or if he will be best served in the long-term by playing every day in Memphis.
(Photo of center fielder Victor Scott II by Rhona Wise / Imagn Images)
