Dream St. Louis Cardinals rotation for the 2026 season as trade rumors swirl

#4 starter: RHP Michael McGreevy

Michael McGreevy was finally given a starting pitcher job in the majors in the second half last year, something many fans, pundits, and even coaches clamored for throughout the season.

McGreevy made 16 starts last year for the Cardinals, and he finished the year with an 8-4 record, a 4.42 ERA, and a 4.27 FIP. He struck out only 58 batters in 95.2 innings, and he allowed 12 home runs, a concerning number for the most part. However, he was still getting his feet wet last year, so there's reason to believe that number will go down next year.

McGreevy, a former first-round pick, went at least six innings in 10 of his 16 starts last year. His most impressive outing came on September 16th when he went seven innings against the Cincinnati Reds, allowing no runs and striking out six batters.

Michael McGreevy relies on his excellent control more than he does on sterling stuff. His fastball velocity was in the 21st percentile among all pitchers last year, and his secondary pitches are nothing to write home about. McGreevy's best chase rates come against his slider, but he much prefers using his sinker, a pitch that got whiffs only 7.5% of the time last year.

Where McGreevy does thrive is in not hurting himself. He walked only 5% of batters he faced last year to be in the 92nd percentile in that metric. He generated ground balls 48% of the time, a solid clip for a starting pitcher. While Cardinals fans have grown weary of groundball pitchers, hopefully removing Andre Pallante from the rotation and seeing Miles Mikolas walk will alleviate some of those woes. Having just one or two groundball pitchers is preferable to the four the Cardinals have been fielding for two years now.

Like Kyle Leahy, Michael McGreevy boasts a deep pitch mix. He can keep hitters guessing with an arsenal that is seven pitches deep.

In this dream rotation for 2026, having Kyle Leahy and Michael McGreevy as the Cardinals' fifth and fourth starters creates for a solid floor. In past years, pitchers like these two youngsters would have been forced up one or even two spots in the rotation. Hopefully, Chaim Bloom is able to beef up the top of the rotation to allow these two starters to rest in more comfortable spots near the bottom of the rotation.