Ranking the St. Louis Cardinals' trade pieces entering Spring Training

#9 - Matthew Liberatore

Since being acquired in the Randy Arozarena trade, Matthew Liberatore has failed to meet expectations and does not look like the number two starter that was once thought of about him.

To be fair, these were probably too high of expectations on Liberatore, who seems much more likely to be a back end of the rotation starter with middle of the rotation upside. His fastball has been a real issue for him, preventing him from finding the success he needs to have if he wants to be on the St. Louis roster.

Liberatore is just 22 years old, but is right on the cusp of the big leagues after his first taste of action in 2022. Posting a 5.97 ERA in 34.2 innings was not the plan for Liberatore, but the Cardinals and other clubs should not give up on the potential he still has.

Still, with their rotation filled out for 2023 and other swing arms like Dakota Hudson, Jake Woodford, Andre Pallante, and Connor Thomas fighting for innings, it is hard to see how Liberatore factors in this year. Nipping at his heels are players like McGreevy, Graceffo, Hence, and Connor Hjerpe as well, so it's becoming easier to see how Liberatore may be more valuable in a trade than in the Cardinals organization at some point this year.