4 young Cardinals pitchers who could benefit from a bullpen role, 3 who would not

The St. Louis Cardinals have some tough decisions to make as spring training winds down — which young arms make their roster, and which are sent back down to the minor leagues?

Well, that decision wouldn't be as difficult if the club would pull the plug on certain veterans in their rotation or trade one or two away to starting pitching-needy teams.

Alas, I've broached that subject a number of times already and will continue to do so as long as it continues to not make sense. But today I do want to take a look at how the Cardinals should handle this reality they have created for themselves. If they intend to hold onto all of these arms and they remain healthy by the time Opening Day comes around, how should they handle the roles and assignments for their young starting pitchers?

There are three different roles the Cardinals could assign each of these young arms to over the coming weeks:

1. The MLB rotation
2. The Triple-A rotation
3. The MLB bullpen

But when it comes to each of the young starting pitchers, there are some who may actually benefit from a role in the Cardinals bullpen this year and others whom it would do more harm than good for. Let's take a look at how the Cardinals should be looking to handle these bullpen assignments this year.

Gordon Graceffo may be ready to excel in a bullpen role for the Cardinals.

Once one of the most promising starting pitching prospects in the Cardinals organization, Graceffo has fallen in the pecking order of their top prospects, but that doesn't mean his future as a starter is completely over. For now though, Graceffo's best route to a role at the Major League level is out of the bullpen.

Graceffo has been battling for one of those bullpen spots all camp and has vocalized that one of his goals this year is to simply make the Major League roster and stick the entire season, regardless of the role they assign him to. Graceffo is willing to take on a role as a reliever, and long term, it may actually be a better fit for him as a player.

After putting in work at Tread Athletics this offseason, Graceffo is hoping to have better command and more consistent fastball velocity after struggling with both over the past two seasons. He was the Cardinals' Minor League Pitcher of the Year back in 2022 but really hasn't reached those heights since then.

Many believe Graceffo's stuff would actually play up in shorter stints out of the bullpen, and it appears as though the Cardinals want to see what that could look like as well.

Moving Michael McGreevy to the bullpen would be a terrible decision.

Michael McGreevy is a starting pitcher. Maybe he'd find success out of the bullpen, but the Cardinals would only be hurting themselves if they did not allow their former first-round pick to start games for them this year.

Earlier this offseason, after forecasting McGreevy as a likely rotation option in 2025, John Mozeliak began to tease out the idea that McGreevy could land in the bullpen if there is not a rotation spot for him. Since that moment, I've been very nervous that the Cardinals would do to McGreevy what they've done to too many pitchers in past years, but recent comments from manager Oliver Marmol suggest that McGreevy is destined to start games this year. The real question is whether that will be with St. Louis or Memphis.

Again, given the crowded nature of the Cardinals rotation right now, there are four guys vying for the final two rotation spots — McGreevy, Steven Matz, Matthew Liberatore, and Andre Pallante. Matz seems likely to take one of those two spots as things currently stand, leaving McGreevy to battle it out with Pallante and Liberatore.

I've already been very vocal about my distaste for the idea of Pallante not being in the rotation. I did not even include him on this list of pitchers I am thumbing through because frankly, it should be obvious to all parties that he belongs in the rotation this year.

So where does that leave McGreevy then? Well, unless the Cardinals trade Matz or Erick Fedde, move Matz to the bullpen, or DFA Miles Mikolas, that means McGreevy will need to begin the year in the Memphis rotation. I'm not thrilled about that personally, but it's better for his development than sticking him in the bullpen.

Matthew Liberatore has already proven his worth as a reliever, and unless they trade someone, that's the role he should fill.

Going into the spring, I had very little confidence that Matthew Liberatore would have a shot at starting games for the Cardinals this year. It was nice that he was an option, but I did not believe that at this point in camp, it would be a real discussion.

So far, Liberatore has done about everything he could possibly do to earn a rotation spot this year.

Liberatore has allowed just four hits and two runs in 9.2 innings during camp, with his secondary stuff grading out very well and his fastball doing enough to play in those extended runs. I still have my doubts about him as a starter moving forward, but if the Cardinals truly want to give "runway" to young talent this year, he should be considered for a starting role.

Here's the issue though: Until the Cardinals commit to giving opportunity to young arms and begin to trade, release, or send veteran arms to the bullpen, there are just too many arms vying for roles to give Liberatore that chance this year. McGreevy is a more deserving candidate today, and Quinn Mathews would be ready very, very soon. At some point this year, Tekaoh Roby and Cooper Hjerpe could become real options as well. What about Sem Robberse? These arms won't be making their starting five to begin the year, and yet they already represent five other options for the club this year.

Should the Cardinals make one of those moves, I find Liberatore's case very compelling. The Cardinals would need depth, and frankly, he's just a few years removed from being one of the better left-handed pitching prospects in baseball. The president of baseball operations in waiting, Chaim Bloom, drafted Liberatore in the first round during his time with Tampa Bay, so perhaps he's a believer in Liberatore's future. Plus, Bloom and company have been revamping the Cardinals' pitching development, so maybe there are brighter days ahead for Liberatore.

But assuming the Cardinals don't make those moves with their veteran arms, Liberatore excelled in a bullpen role last year and could carve out a nice career for himself in that capacity moving forward. While the Cardinals need to figure out who can fill their rotation for future seasons, they also need high-quality bullpen arms to rely on long term as well. Liberatore seems to be ready to become that.

Quinn Mathews should only start games for the Cardinals this year.

Already optioned to minor league camp, Quinn Mathews is set to begin the year with the Memphis Redbirds, but it won't be long before he takes the ball for St. Louis.

Mathews' meteoric rise in his first season of professional baseball saw him rise through four minor league levels, and even though he did struggle a bit in his brief stint with Memphis, he was clearly someone the club needed to have on their radar as camp began.

Mathews only made one start for the Cardinals in camp, but he looked excellent against the top and middle of the Toronto Blue Jays' order, striking out three batters and allowing zero runs in that outing. I would have loved to see Mathews make a couple more starts before they optioned him, but he should be one of their first calls this year when a rotation spot is available.

I highly doubt the Cardinals would consider using Mathews out of the bullpen this year unless it were late in the season and they just wanted to add his arm to the mix. But my guess is that by the middle of the summer, Mathews is in their rotation and will remain there.

Once again though, their current rotation situation complicates that. McGreevy should be the next man up, so barring multiple injuries or the Cardinals deciding to part ways with someone, Mathews is blocked at the moment. But should he throw well in Memphis to begin the year, it will be difficult to keep one of the top prospects in baseball down in Triple-A if there is a struggling arm in that five-man group.

Tekoah Roby and Cooper Hjerpe could flash as bullpen arms, but only if the Cardinals don't allow that to "typecast" them as relievers.

While Quinn Mathews and Tink Hence are consistently ranked as the two best arms in the Cardinals farm system, Tekoah Roby and Cooper Hjerpe both boast really intriguing stuff and, if they can remain healthy this year, could vault themselves into that conversation in the near future.

Roby has really impressed the Cardinals this spring and is aiming to once again prove why he was one of the more exciting arms in minor league baseball prior to the injury bug in 2023. The Cardinals acquired Roby along with Thomas Saggese in the Jordan Montgomery trade at their infamous 2023 trade deadline, but Roby has consistently struggled with injuries since coming over to St. Louis.

Roby seems to have found himself once again as he grounded himself spiritually, and that has coincided with a strong camp that seems to have him squarely on the Cardinals' radar.

Hjerpe, the Cardinals' first-round pick in 2022, has also battled injuries over the past few seasons but has been a strikeout machine when he's on the mound. He won't blow you away with his velocity, but his deceptive arm angle and delivery make him a very tough pitcher to go up against. There are really smart baseball people who think Hjerpe could make a major leap in the near future.

I could easily see the Cardinals using either arm in their bullpen this year if they want to strengthen that group, but my concern would be that the club would end up seeing their success in the bullpen and leaving them there long term. Both arms deserve chances to start at the Major League level long term.

Depending on how the season plays out, I'm open to Hjerpe or Roby grabbing a bullpen spot this year, especially if they approach their innings limit toward the end of the year but want to maximize their final innings by giving them production in St. Louis. I prefer them to develop as starters this year and possibly get chances in the Cardinals rotation this year if they are pitching well, but I can see how a bullpen role would make sense depending on how things play out.

Tink Hence may end up becoming a reliever long term, but 2025 should be focused on building him up as a starter.

2025 represents a really important year in the development of Tink Hence. The Cardinals know this, which is why they seem to be working with him on changes to how he throws and takes care of himself so that he can have a chance as a starting pitcher long term.

I wouldn't rule out the possibility of Hence making starts for St. Louis this year, but it seems far more likely that Hence will remain in the minor leagues this year as he continues to build up as a starter. Hence has yet to hit the 100-inning mark in his career, and if the Cardinals are serious about him starting long term, they have to prioritize him building up that endurance and durability over any short-term gains they could have from him in their bullpen.

Now, like Roby and Hjerpe, if Hence comes to the end of the season and is bumping up against his innings limit, then sure, maybe unleash him in a bullpen role in St. Louis so he can get used to that stage, face big league hitters, and if the Cardinals are in the race, help them push for the playoffs. Those could be valuable things, but again, they should not come at the cost of his development.

If 2025 ends up being another campaign where Hence can't stay healthy or go deeper into games, then maybe the Cardinals will need to change their outlook for him. With Ryan Helsley likely in his final year with the club, Hence could be a major part of the Cardinals' future in a high-leverage relief role.

While that could be enticing, the upside is very high as a starter, so St. Louis needs to do everything they can to unlock that first before considering bullpen usage.