Cardinals' Opening Day roster, lineups, rotation, & bullpen

Opening Day is finally here! The St. Louis Cardinals are set to take on the Minnesota Twins at Busch Stadium this afternoon, officially kicking off the 2025 season.

After a drama-filled winter that ultimately resulted in virtually zero roster movement for the club, the Cardinals now enter the final year of the John Mozeliak era with a cloud of uncertainty over them. Will the club be able to thread the needle of contending while building for the future? Or will their plans fall flat on their face as they plant one foot in two different worlds?

Chaim Bloom, the president of baseball operations in waiting, will have his work cut out for him either way next winter, but for now, the Cardinals are rolling out a mix of youngsters and veterans for Opening Day who will kick off this seemingly ominous campaign.

Cardinals Opening Day Roster

Pitchers (13): Sonny Gray, Erick Fedde, Andre Pallante, Miles Mikolas, Matthew Liberatore, Steven Matz, Ryan Helsley, Ryan Fernandez, JoJo Romero, Phil Maton, John King, Kyle Leahy, Chris Roycroft

Catchers (2): Ivan Herrera, Pedro Pages

Infielders (7): Willson Contreras, Nolan Areando, Masyn Winn, Brendan Donovan, Nolan Gorman, Alec Burleson, Luken Baker

Outfielders (4): Lars Nootbaar, Victor Scott II, Jordan Walker, Michael Siani

I broke down in detail the things that excited and frustrated me about the 26-man roster the Cardinals chose to go with to begin the year. This roster will surely change as the year goes on, but one has to hope that means we end up seeing more youngsters in the rotation soon.

Cardinals' Opening Day Lineup

1. LF Lars Nootbaar
2. 1B Willson Contreras
3. 2B Brendan Donovan
4. 3B Nolan Arenado
5. DH Alec Burleson
6. C Ivan Herrera
7. RF Jordan Walker
8. CF Victor Scott II
9. SS Masyn Winn

While the Cardinals went with Masyn Winn as their leadoff hitter most of 2024, he struggled in that role and now finds himself back at the bottom of the order to begin 2025. Lars Nootbaar will get the first crack at leading off this year, with Brendan Donovan slated to be the club's number three hitter with Willson Contreras batting second. This lineup has the potential to surprise people this year but also could be a major pain point if regression comes again.

Opening Day Starting Rotation

1. RHP Sonny Gray
2. RHP Erick Fedde
3. RHP Ander Pallante
4. RHP Miles Mikolas
5. LHP Matthew Liberatore
6. LHP Steven Matz*

*The Cardinals plan to move to a six-man rotation on April 16th due to the scheduling of off days, but Matz is viewed as a member of the bullpen.

The Cardinals pleasantly surprised me and many others by committing to Matthew Liberatore in the rotation over veteran Steven Matz. This is the right move for the club, as it allows a young arm like Liberatore the opportunity to sink or swim while keeping Matz around as an insurance option and to make spot starts.

Opening Day Bullpen

RHP Ryan Helsley
RHP Ryan Fernandez
LHP JoJo Romero
RHP Phil Maton
LHP John King
RHP Kyle Leahy
RHP Chris Roycroft
LHP Steven Matz*

*Matz will begin the year in the bullpen, join the rotation in mid-April, and likely return to the bullpen after that barring injuries.

After opting not to trade Ryan Helsley this offseason and adding Phil Maton late in camp, the Cardinals bullpen looks strong once again and may be relied on heavily to keep games close this season. Expect to see many names get turns in their bullpen this year in an effort to keep guys fresh and win as many games as possible while giving opportunities to young players.