4 Cardinals who should have a larger role in 2025, 3 who should not

Michael McGreevy deserves a chance to make the Cardinals' rotation

Speaking of young arms who need a chance in St. Louis, Michael McGreevy did everything he could possibly do in his MLB debut to earn another opportunity, but the Cardinals have too many veteran arms at this moment.

Even if the Cardinals let go of Lynn and Gibson this offseason, they'll still have a crowded rotation with Gray, Fedde, Pallante, and probably Mikolas in there. McGreevy has spent two years in Triple-A now and seems to have mastered the level, so it's really time for him to get his run in St. Louis at this point.

The former first-round pick looked like a bust for a while but has found a new gear that has allowed him to compete at a high level. While McGreevy may not have front-of-the-rotation upside like Mathews and Tink Hence, McGreevy could become a quality back-of-the-rotation starter, which is extremely valuable in this league.

Imagine if in 2025 the Cardinals are spending less than $1 million on each of McGreevy and Mathews in their rotation and have Pallante in the mix as a first-year arbitration guy. That gives them so much flexibility to add a bigger arm to their mix at a higher salary, which would really raise their ceiling as a team.

Even if McGreevy is not in their Opening Day rotation, he has shown enough at this point to be someone they should feel good about as their "next man up". No rotation goes without its share of injuries, so having someone like McGreevy available to slot in is a huge blessing for the club.

But they cannot have McGreevy so far down on the pecking order that he has only received one or two MLB starts by this time next year. It is time that the Cardinals give young arms the chance to thrive in St. Louis. We saw how beneficial it was for them when they gave Pallante a runway, and the same could happen with someone like McGreevy.