There are going to be a lot of eyes on the St. Louis Cardinals’ starting rotation this offseason.
That is because there are only two guys that seemingly are locks for the rotation in Michael McGreevy and Matthew Liberatore, as of writing. Sonny Gray will have a spot if he isn’t traded. Andre Pallante had a spot all year in 2025, but had a tough season. At 27 years old, he’s someone worth another look in Spring Training, at least. Kyle Leahy is someone who is expected to enter camp at least with a shot at the rotation.
The Cardinals absolutely should be on the lookout for another veteran or two, especially if Gray is traded. But, another guy that fans should be excited about as well is No. 5 prospect Quinn Matthews.
He hasn’t made his big league debut yet, but he certainly should be someone to watch out for this spring, Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch also noted that he will be someone to watch in Spring Training with a chance to earn a role.
Cardinals fans have another young starter to be excited about
“On the pitching side, Quinn Mathews could also make a case to push for a starting spot out of spring training if there are spots open in the big-league rotation, though the Cardinals could explore the starting market in free agency,” Guerrero said.
This past season, it was McGreevy who the Cardinals fans were the most excited about. McGreevy made some spot-starts early on and eventually earned a consistent role in the rotation. Now, he’s a piece to build around. When Spring Training gets here, Matthews should get the same treatment. He’s among the team’s top prospects and has a very high ceiling.
He’s 25 years old now and is coming off a season in which he logged a 3.73 ERA down in the minors across 24 starts. He made 22 of those starts with the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds. MLB.com actually had his projected MLB debut to be in 2025. That didn’t end up happening, though.
Matthews ended his 2025 season on hot note with a 3.30 ERA in his final 12 starts. Last year, he appeared in two games in Spring Training at the big league level for St. Louis and didn’t allow a run. If he can have another solid spring, he’s someone who could join Liberatore and McGreevy as young pieces to build around.
The Cardinals have had some trouble developing young pitching. But, Liberatore and McGreevy look like success stories. In 2026, Matthews could follow that same trajectory.