9 Cardinals who took advantage of their runway in 2025

RHP Michael McGreevy

The theme of the year for Michael McGreevy was, ironically, patience. A word that has been spoken ad nauseum by POBO John Mozeliak became the battle cry for the 25-year-old starter.

McGreevy, a former first-round pick, waited until August before he saw regular playing time in the majors. He was used on occasion prior to the trade deadline to give the starting pitchers an extra day off, but it wasn't until after Steven Matz and Erick Fedde were removed from the team that McGreevy was able to be a consistent starter in the majors.

McGreevy has made 15 starts this year with St. Louis, and he has a 4.08 ERA in 86 innings. He's struck out 53 batters and walked 15 all while giving up only eight home runs. His 3.75 FIP indicates that there is room for improvement on his season numbers.

McGreevy's strikeout numbers weren't as strong this year in the majors (5.55 K/9) as they were in the minors (9.36 K/9), but he still did a good job at limiting the damage. He didn't hurt himself with walks (4.2% BB rate, 97th percentile), and he excelled at generating soft contact. More strikeouts next year should go a long way in raising his ceiling slightly.

Even manager Oli Marmol was impressed by what he saw in McGreevy this year. "On the pitching side, we have a lot more clarity as to where Liberatore can contribute moving forward after we went into the season (wondering) if he should be a reliever or a starter. McGreevy has done a nice job.”

Michael McGreevy's 2025 season shouldn't make fans think he's a top-of-the-rotation starter. However, they should give fans a little more optimism in the back of the rotation next year. He's a tier above what Erick Fedde, Miles Mikolas, and Andre Pallante were for the Cardinals this year, and he's a fraction of the cost of two of those three pitchers. Michael is more than likely a solid #4 starting pitcher in most MLB rotations. The fact that he's just now entering his pre-arb years makes him a far more appealing option than costly free agent veterans.