6 options the Cardinals could consider if they expand to a six-man rotation

As Cardinals' Spring Training begins, it looks like most of the position battles are already won. We know who the five starting pitchers will be, the lineup is mostly set aside from Masyn Winn at shortstop who needs to prove that he can hit at the Major League level, and the bullpen which has a few spots up in the air. However, as reported by Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post Dispatch, the Cardinals might be considering a six-man rotation to open the 2024 season.

In the first 21 days of the season, the Cardinals will play 19 games with only 2 off days and will face some tough competition in the Dodgers, Padres, Marlins, Phillies, and Diamondbacks. Since the lack of innings was such an issue for the 2023 Cardinals, it makes sense to ease the new starting rotation into the season to avoid the risk of burnout or injury amongst the staff. Moreover, there are plenty of internal options that the Cardinals could use as the sixth man.

It's a risky play for a team that failed to pair another frontline starter with Sonny Gray this offseason, but a six-man rotation may be a wise decision for the long-term health of an aging group. I'm still hoping for St. Louis to add another of the available starters that still somehow haven't signed, but the hope of that dwindles by the day. A six-man rotation would've made more sense if the Cardinals had landed one of the Japanese starting pitchers as six-man rotations are commonplace in NPB, but that ship has sailed.

Here are six options the Cardinals should consider for their final rotation spot.

Option 1 - Zack Thompson

While I believe Zack Thompson is better suited for a long relief role in the late innings as a high-leverage left-hander, he did show significant promise as a backend rotation option toward the end of the 2023 season. In nine games started, Thompson recorded a 4.57 ERA in 45.1 innings pitched. He was slightly better in relief, but not enough for it to be noticeable. For a backend starter, this is more than serviceable and significantly better than the Cardinals were able to get from the combination of Adam Wainwright and Jake Woodford last season.

Thompson should move back to the bullpen, where he's better suited, for a Postseason run but for the start of the season or filling in for an injured starter he's proven that he's good enough. Fans often overvalue how productive a team's backend starter should be.

The Cardinals by no means will have a super-rotation with Thompson at the back like the Dodgers or Mariners who have promising young talents such as Bobby Miller and Bryan Woo at the backend, but a super-rotation is not needed to contend in the playoffs. Thompson is better than the fifth or sixth starters of most Major League clubs, so there should be no concerns about letting him start a game or two.

Option 2 - Matthew Liberatore

Matthew Liberatore has had as rocky of a start to his MLB career as a starting pitcher could have. Through 31 appearances and 18 starts, Liberatore has recorded a 5.51 ERA and 4.54 FIP, not nearly the numbers fans expected from a once top-100 pitching prospect. It's still too early to say whether or not Liberatore should be considered a bust, but time is running out for him to prove himself. It's been reported that the Cardinals may look to move him to a bullpen role moving forward, but one last chance in the starting rotation may help Libby turn the page.

His command and velocity have wavered in late innings, but with the additions of Gibson and Lynn in the backend of the rotation to help eat innings, letting Liberatore struggle for a bit before finding his footing as a potential starter of the future for the Cardinals could work to their advantage. After all, if Liberatore has a few shorter outings in the early season, the bullpen won't be as overworked as it was last year so they can fill the remainder of innings.

Option 3 - Drew Rom

Drew Rom's first dance as a Major League starter was not pretty. Through 8 starts, he recorded an 8.02 ERA as he greatly struggled with his command. While his 5.75 FIP indicates bad luck in a small sample size, he's still far from playable for a contending team without significant improvements. Personally, I hope Rom doesn't see much more starting action at the Major League level, but he's certainly in consideration for the final rotation spot this Spring. It'll be an interesting battle for the sixth rotation spot and perhaps a revamped Drew Rom could win the spot.

Option 4 - Gordon Graceffo

Once a top 100 prospect, Gordon Graceffo could win the final rotation spot in Spring Training. However, due to injuries and his struggles at Triple-A Memphis, Graceffo fell off the rankings and seemingly off the Cardinals' radar as a potential rotation candidate this offseason. His upside is much higher than many of the other pitching prospects in the Cardinals' system, as he boasts an upper 90's fastball and a wipeout slider. At 23 years old, it's getting a bit late for Graceffo to live up to his full potential, but he could win that final spot by shoving this Spring.

Option 5 - Michael McGreevy

While most Cardinals fans probably don't want to hear about Dakota Hudson ever again, his ability to coax ground balls to get himself out of tough situations was always an asset to the Cardinals. However, Michael McGreevy does one thing Hudson did not: limiting walks. He's not the flashiest name, but he put up solid numbers at Double-A and Triple-A last season and fits the Cardinals' old mold of pitching to weak contact instead of striking batters out. There are plenty of pitchers McGreevy has to leap over, but he could fill innings as the sixth man in the rotation with a good Spring performance.