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

Steven Matz

One of the elder statesmen of the current Cardinals roster, Steven Matz, like Liberatore, has the opportunity to crack the Opening Day rotation as the fifth starter. The former may have the advantage in a head-to-head competition since he enters the final year of his ill-fated deal and St. Louis may try to recoup any of their sunk cost. With the cost of even mediocre starting pitching rising across the league, Matz's $12 million could be seen as a bargain with a bounce-back performance.

He has spent the overwhelming majority of his big league career as a starter, really only seeing his first extended time in the bullpen as he tried to make his way back to the major league roster as a reliever. The attempt at a lighter workload did not pan out as he continued to spend time on the injured list and was ineffective the time he was healthy. While his Cardinals tenure has been a disappointment, general managers around baseball have shown interest in taking on Matz and some of his salary if the team looked to part ways with the lefty.

Matz has continually been the subject of trade rumors and seen as a change of scenery candidate as the Cardinals move towards an organizational reset. So far, the team has rebuffed any true discussions around the 10-year veteran but injuries or disappointing performances from players on other teams may drive his trade value up.

In a best-case scenario for the team's current roster building, Matz would pitch himself into a bidding war for a contender, allowing him to enter a playoff race and the Cardinals to receive something promising in return. If he were to struggle in whatever role he is assigned at the end of the exhibition season, the organization would have few other options than to either eat the remainder of his salary or trade him for pennies on the dollar to any willing taker. Because of the pitching-needy nature of the league, it would be surprising if the Cardinals would have to resort to cutting ties and DFA Matz off of the roster.

Each of these players is all but guaranteed a spot on the 26-man roster, regardless of what the Cardinals decide to do with their current trade pieces. That spot on the big league team does not guarantee playing time, however, and all four players will need to perform in their 2025 roles. Their performance will either provide them with more opportunities with St. Louis or end with them finishing the season elsewhere.