6 questions the St. Louis Cardinals must answer in 2025

The St. Louis Cardinals made their final roster decision as the team gets ready to open up their 2025 season on Thursday against the Minnesota Twins. The Opening Day roster featured some surprising decisions that cleared up playing for some players while putting others in a precarious spot heading into the new campaign. These choices created more questions that the Cardinals must now answer during the season as they progress toward a new leadership.

As the organization looks to hand over the reins to Chaim Bloom after the season, the team looks to a mixed group of veterans and youngsters who are all looking to prove their worth to the Cardinals or other organizations who may desire their services. After John Mozeliak recently admitted that player development has been "stuck in the mud," the team made some uncharacteristic decisions to finalize their 26-man roster.

6 questions the Cardinals are going to have to answer during the 2025 season

1. What do the Cardinals expect from their veteran pitchers?

After Sonny Gray dismissed any trade desires early in the offseason, it was clear that he would be the team's Opening Day starter and de facto number one (notice I did not say "ace") option in the rotation. Even with his problems with the home run ball and a mysteriously unannounced injury, Gray should be counted on to lead the staff.

Even if he wanted to be moved, Miles Mikolas might have had a hard time finding a suitor better than the Cardinals. They have continuously shown their faith in their inning-eater and look ready to give him the ball another 30 times this season. Along with Mikolas, Erick Fedde seemed like a player likely to be pitching elsewhere in 2025, but, for the time being, he is going to be stuck in St. Louis. The fourth and fifth spots in the rotation were seemingly up for grabs, as the final decision on these spots was not made official until the very last day in Jupiter. Andre Pallante, who saved the rotation last season, looks to build off his strong debut season as a starter and will have to show he can shake off a few tough Grapefruit League outings.

And the fifth starter to open the season? Matthew Liberatore, who almost nobody thought would have a legitimate shot to crack the already crowded rotation after putting together a solid resume as a reliever. The announced potential for a six-man rotation figured to be between veteran Steven Matz and rookie standout Michael McGreevy, but it turns out neither of them will be the top options to start the season. Matz will be a long man out of the bullpen and be available if and when the aforementioned sixth man is needed, and McGreevy will look to stay sharp in Memphis.

So what do these decisions mean for the St. Louis Cardinals heading into the 2025 season? Well, first, they must expect Sonny Gray to be healthy with Mikolas and Fedde ready to shoulder plenty of innings. Pallante zoomed past his previous career high in innings last season and must prove he can handle a full season of starts. For Liberatore, he now enters a huge year for his career. Once a top starting pitcher prospect, Libby has been moved back and forth countless times between the rotation and bullpen and will now get the opportunity to show he can make good on that potential.

The flexibility of both Matz and McGreevy creates interesting opportunities for the Cardinals to change course when needed. Along with McGreevy, they have starting options Quinn Mathews, Tink Hence, and Gordon Graceffo all awaiting their call-up. If the Cardinals fall out of contention and ship out one of their veterans or face an early injury, any of those pitchers can slot directly into the rotation without having to build back up to a starter's workload.

The big answer to this question will depend on what the Cardinals truly plan to accomplish this season. In a reset-turned transition, the organization is leaving room to have expectations of being competitive while also hoping their veterans can pitch their way into enough value to warrant a solid prospect return. If they plan to compete in the weak NL Central, their veteran staff could be a difference-maker.