Matthew Liberatore has become one of the Cardinals’ most complicated offseason questions, and the debate around him isn’t really about talent so much as timing, control, and what St. Louis already has waiting in the wings.
Liberatore has bounced through roles as a starter, reliever, and starter again, but the results have never really settled in. He did put together a solid stretch out of the bullpen, which got him another look in the rotation.
Since then, though, things have gone sideways. This season, he finished with a 5.23 ERA over 155 innings, a rough line in what was supposed to be a runway season.
Randy Karraker of Matrix Midwest sees that same mess from a different angle. In his view, the left-hander still carries real trade value because of his age, his team control, and the fact that he’s logged 60 starts over the last two seasons.
“A 27-year-old left-hander with three years of control-a guy who’s made 60 starts over the last two seasons; he has a lot of value,” Karraker said of Liberatore.
Karraker also pointed to the Cardinals’ depth on the left side, noting that Quinn Mathews is already on the major league roster and that St. Louis has five lefties among its top-30 prospects. With that kind of pipeline, he suggested the club might be better off moving Liberatore before the offseason really gets rolling.
“He might bring more value to the Cardinals by bringing them another pitcher or another player. He’s not going to present great value out of the bullpen, because his salary is going to go up because he’s been a starter. He’s going to get a lot of money in arbitration.”
Karraker wrapped up his thoughts by making the larger roster argument plainly.
“Although he’s been up-and-down in St. Louis, there is no doubt that Liberatore has ability. But with the four starters the Cardinals already have, and with the young starters they already have on the way, it might be just a waste of time and money to have Liberatore on the Cardinals roster in the future.”
That’s the heart of the discussion: Liberatore has shown enough in flashes to keep his name in the conversation, but not enough to make him untouchable. Plenty of fans have talked themselves into the idea of him as a bullpen piece down the road, even in 2027.
The problem is that St. Louis already has a crowded group of young arms coming, and Liberatore has done little to separate himself from the pack.
If anything, the Cardinals are looking at a pitcher whose biggest selling point may be the same thing that makes him tricky to keep: his remaining value on the market. If another club still sees him as a starter with upside, St.
Louis might be wise to listen. At this point, even a minor leaguer coming back in a deal would at least give the Cardinals something in return for one of their more frustrating development stories.
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