4 Cardinals players who will make the Opening Day cut but remain on the roster bubble

With the St. Louis Cardinals still yet to make an addition (or subtraction) from their Major League roster, they appear to go into the 2025 season content with their current personnel. If Nolan Arenado and rotation pieces were all to stay in St. Louis as most recently expected, the Opening Day lineup appears mostly set.

Which players have something to prove even if they crack the Opening Day roster?

Management has already stated that Nolan Gorman and Jordan Walker will receive full-time at-bats this season as they enter the year with something to prove, so their roster spots appear safe.

Matthew Liberatore

The former top prospect comes into 2025 with an undefined role (again) but John Mozeliak has already stated that Matthew Liberatore will have a chance to win a starting rotation spot. The lefty has shown he can fill a late-inning role, so the organization may ultimately feel he should start the season in the bullpen. Liberatore started six times last season and it always appeared to be out of some strange circumstance that it is tough to look too deep into his starter numbers.

He carved out a dependable role in Oliver Marmol's bullpen whether it was as a matchup or bulk reliever over the past two seasons. Liberatore also drastically improved the effectiveness of his slider and changeup, giving him an effective three-pitch mix. However, with uncertainty in the back end of the Cardinals' rotation, he could find himself back in Memphis to once again stretch out as a starter if he were to struggle early in the campaign. A demotion to the minors could be mutually beneficial if Liberatore were to get back into the starter success he showed that once made him a top pitching prospect. Positive results could either get him back into a meaningful role with the big league club before he enters his first year of arbitration or make him a trade target for a club in need of a left-handed rotation piece.

It seems that Libby has faced make-or-break situations multiple times during his tenure in St. Louis, but this year may be his final opportunity to truly cement himself in one role. With Liberatore only having one option year remaining on his contract, if the team were to send him down to the minors again, it would be in both parties' best interest to find a concrete spot on a roster as a starter or reliever.