The Cardinals have shown all season that they’re willing to shuffle the deck when production slips, but Matthew Liberatore’s spot in the rotation has stayed untouched.
That stands out because St. Louis has already acted elsewhere.
Victor Scott II and Nolan Gorman were sent to Triple-A earlier in the season after offensive struggles in the majors, and neither has come back up. Pedro Pagés also saw his role behind the plate shrink after a rough stretch at the plate, with Jimmy Crooks getting the call to the big leagues.
Liberatore, though, has kept taking the ball. He enters the conversation with a 5.15 ERA across 23 starts this season, and since May 13 he has posted a 5.78 ERA in 71 2/3 innings.
By the numbers, it has not been a strong year. Still, the Cardinals have not made a move.
Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom addressed that decision while appearing on 101 ESPN St. Louis.
"Obviously, it's been inconsistent," Bloom said. "There have been some good things in there that we're trying to get out of him on a more consistent basis, but I do think it's a fair question. ...
"I think right now, the way that we look at it with Quinn's introduction at the beginning of the month, we're in a point where we really want to be. We have six we like and granted there are only five spots, things work themselves out where that sixth guy gets to jump in there a decent amount.
I think we'll see that from Quinn. ... It's never something where we're on cruise control with it.
Never something where we're just content."
If St. Louis decides the rotation needs a change, Quinn Mathews is the clearest path. The Cardinals would not be looking for a one-off spot start here and there; the idea would be for Mathews to settle in for good.
He’s already given the organization something to build on. Mathews owns a 3.32 ERA in Triple-A this season over 20 starts, and he looked solid in his MLB debut, working five innings against the Toronto Blue Jays on Aug. 1.
Bloom has made it plain that Mathews is part of the picture going forward. The Cardinals are going to see him again, and the case for bringing him back sooner rather than later only grows if Liberatore keeps struggling.
That pressure figures to keep building, too. St.
Louis has a wave of young arms moving up the pipeline, including Liam Doyle, Tanner Franklin, Brandon Clarke and Jurrangelo Cijntje. Doyle is ranked No. 2 in the system, Franklin No.
5, Clarke No. 7 and Cijntje No. 9.
Those names are more likely to push for major league time in 2027 than 2026, but they underline the depth the Cardinals have coming.
For now, the Cardinals have a straightforward opening if they want to make a change. Liberatore’s struggles have left the door open, and Mathews is the most obvious candidate to walk through it.
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Matt Carpenter added fresh fuel to that familiar argument in a recent interview, revisiting a complaint Cardinals fans have heard before from players who felt the park worked against their swings. It is the kind of comment that tends to linger around this franchise because it taps into a larger question the team has never fully answered, even if there is still no official sign that any changes are coming. [Read more 🡒]