As the St. Louis Cardinals embark upon a season that has been widely described by outsiders as a rebuilding campaign, the factor that will most readily determine the length of this process could depend on the number of players who make ‘the leap’ in 2026.
How many blossoming Cardinals will build upon the foundation of their careers to take the next step in leveling up from candidate to contributor? From contributor to big-league stardom?
With pitchers and catchers filing into Cardinals spring training camp this week ahead of the first official workout on Friday, STL Sports Central’s Mike Claiborne and Joe Roderick were among the media contingent to hear from Cards manager Oli Marmol on Wednesday inside the club’s revamped Jupiter facilities.
When asked about an element of the team that he’s most excited to watch unfold on the back fields, Marmol’s answer pertained to the area of the roster that is arguably rife with the most competitive depth.
“I’m pumped about our starting pitching,” Marmol said. “As far as just—there’s something to get excited about regardless of who’s on the bump.
“Whether that’s Libby taking that next step or McGreevy. But also seeing the strides of, like, a Pallante. Giving an opportunity to Leahy. Throw in some of the new arms that are in the org, in (Dustin) May—I’m excited to see that play out.”
Beyond the names featured in that quotation, the Cardinals will also get a chance to see what they have in off-season acquisitions Richard Fitts and Hunter Dobbins, a pair of right-handers with big-league starting experience who came over to St. Louis in separate deals with the Boston Red Sox.
That makes for seven legitimate, experienced candidates competing for five spots in the season-opening rotation. But in hearing the way Marmol spoke about Matthew Liberatore, there’s arguably no pitcher in the group better poised to make the leap this summer than Liberatore.
“This is a dude—I can talk about Libby for a while—the offseason he's had and the intentionality behind everything he's done,” Marmol said. “When you talk about someone being given an opportunity and running with it, this is exactly what you want it to look like.”
Marmol explained that his eagerness and evidence of Liberatore’s leadership characteristics came through even in his Zoom calls which coaches throughout the off-season. That should carry meaning given the extent to which he has suddenly become one of the ‘veterans’ on the staff following the departures of Sonny Gray and Miles Mikolas over the winter.
Liberatore has logged 334 career big-league innings. Newcomer Dustin May has more MLB service time, but fewer regular-season innings (though May’s postseason innings added to his total would narrowly eclipse Liberatore’s overall mark). Andre Pallante has thrown more innings, but isn’t necessarily locked into a rotation spot with the way you’d be inclined to view the competition on paper.
Liberatore is the combination of experience and performance that positions him as the Cardinals’ most likely candidate to take up the ace mantle.
In how he’s carried himself through the winter—including publicly stating his desire to earn the ball on Opening Day—it seems evident that Matthew Liberatore is looking to assert himself as a prominent piece of the a new-look Cardinals pitching staff in 2026.