St. Louis Cardinals Opening Day Roster Prediction 1.0

Rotation

(5) - Jack Flaherty, Miles Mikolas, Jordan Montgomery, Adam Wainwright, and Steven Matz

Many had hopes that the Cardinals would add a front-line starter to this group before the season, but barring injury, this is the group St. Louis will rely on come Opening Day. Honestly, I don't think that is a bad thing.

Sure, by mid-season, the club will likely need to add another top-end starter, but this five-man group is perfect for a regular season run. There are no letdowns in this rotation, each guy should give them a chance to win almost every time they step on the mound. And with the Cardinals' offense, that should be plenty enough for the majority of the year.

Jack Flaherty is clearly the biggest wild card here. When he's been healthy, he's shown the ability to shut down lineups with the best in the game. Sure, injuries are a concern, but it's very possible he rebounds in a big way this year and is the ace this team needs.

Miles Mikolas and Jordan Montgomery have the ability to be quality number 2 or 3 starters in this rotation, alongside the back end of the rotation with Adam Wainwright and Steven Matz. This rotation's ceiling may not be as high as others, but its floor is very high.

Should an injury occur, guys like Dakota Hudson, Zack Thompson, Connor Thomas, Matthew Liberatore, Jake Woodford, and even Gordon Graceffo are excellent depth options for the club. Gone are the days of trying Jordan Hicks as an opener or relying on someone like Johan Oviedo to get them innings. The Cardinals' rotation is prepped for potential injuries.