Cardinals Opening Day roster prediction one week into spring training games

Rotation (5) - Matthew Liberatore, Dustin May, Michael McGreevy, Richard Fitts, and Kyle Leahy

When it comes to the Cardinals' rotation this year, there are many names who could make starts for them throughout the season. Many of those I do think will get their chance, but the five-man group above is who I think will get first cracks at it.

Matthew Liberatore is the favorite to take the ball on Opening Day for the Cardinals. The 26-year-old had a breakout season for St. Louis in 2025, posting a 4.21 ERA in 29 starts over 151.2 innings of work. At times, Liberatore looked like a front-line starter, but he ran into issues during the summer going deep into games. He seemed to rebound as the year went on, and is now looking to put it all together for a highly productive campaign.

Dustin May, who was the Cardinals' big free agent signing this offseason, has flashed a return to throwing with high velocity in camp, and that could bode well for a bounce-back campaign. He is going to be a top trade asset for the Cardinals at the deadline if he has a strong year, so the early returns during camp are very promising.

Michael McGreevy is set to have a full run in the rotation this year after impressing in his 17 games last year. McGreevy projects to be a back-of-the-rotation starter long-term, but that can be very valuable for the club that has paid tens of millions of dollars to veterans in recent years to fill that void. He already seems to be taking a leadership role on the staff as well.

Those three seem to most "guaranteed" of the bunch to have spots in the rotation, but I actually feel fairly confident in who the other two options will be. Richard Fitts, who the Cardinals acquired in the Sonny Gray trade, has been pumping big-time velocity in camp as well and has the upside of a middle-of-the-rotation starter. I really think the Cardinals are going to want to see Fitts get as many starts as he can this year, but I wouldn't be shocked if he sees time in the bullpen as well.

Same goes for Kyle Leahy, who the Cardinals have been positioning for a chance to start this year and should take the bull by the horns. Leahy impressed the Cardinals last year with his bulldog mentality in the bullpen, and he has the stuff and makeup to be an impactful starter in this league.

Others, like Quinn Mathews, Hunter Dobbins, and Andre Pallante, will get starts throughout the year as well, but I feel confident in saying this will be their five-man crew come Opening Day.

Just missed: Quinn Mathews and Hunter Dobbins