For the past three years, the St. Louis Cardinals have moved left-handed pitcher Matthew Liberatore around like a suitcase through a crowded airport.
Liberatore, who was a top starting pitching prospect in baseball as recently as 2021, has not been assigned a set job while with the Cardinals. Over the last three years, he has gone from starter to reliever, spot starter, and back to reliever. This instability has resulted in career numbers that are simply adequate.
Matthew Liberatore has a career ERA of 4.99 over 182.1 professional innings. He has started 24 of his 91 games and pitched a career-high 86 innings in 2024. These metrics may not scream “fifth starter,” but a closer examination should reveal his full potential.
Liberatore appeared in nine games in 2022, seven of which he started, and threw 34.2 innings. His ERA was 5.97. In 2023, he had 22 appearances, including 11 starts, and pitched 61.2 innings with a 5.25 ERA. Last year, Liberatore participated in 60 games, making only six starts and pitching 86 innings. His ERA was a career-best 4.40.
While being a reliever has helped the 25-year-old southpaw, consistency appears to be the best solution to Libby’s problems. When given a constant role and enough time to prepare for it, Matthew Liberatore has found success.
When given consistency, St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Matthew Liberatore thrives. He’s being given that chance in 2025.
“But Liberatore, when you order someone to go work on something and they return as focused as Libby, taking use of every opportunity? He earned it, and I wanted him to be able to go into St. Louis knowing he’s a starter rather than having to switch back and forth,” stated manager Oli Marmol. “This isn’t a tryout for a few starts. He is going to start. Don’t look over your shoulder; go be a starter, and we’ll assess as we go.”
This spring, Liberatore was given the opportunity to start and took command of the situation. He struck out nine batters and allowed only three earned runs in 16.2 innings, giving him a 1.62 ERA. While Libby only “started” one game this spring, he threw 71 pitches in his final appearance on March 22nd.
I’ve been convinced all offseason that Matthew Liberatore should stay a reliever because that’s where he’s succeeded as a major leaguer thus far. However, now is the time to see if Libby can live up to his prospect credentials and become a mid-rotation starting pitcher. If he can, he will provide considerably more value to the squad, both now and in the future.
While Michael McGreevy had an arguably superior spring, Oli Marmol chose to put Liberatore in the rotation instead. Liberatore is entering his third full season in the majors. If the franchise wants to find out what they have in the former first-round pick, now is the moment. McGreevy, another first-round pick, still has plenty of time; he’ll be employed as a backup pitcher in case a major league starter is injured early on.
While Oli Marmol and John Mozeliak are the two key figures in roster development, Chaim Bloom may have played a role in this decision. Bloom will succeed Mozeliak as the club’s president of baseball operations following the 2025 season. He will reap the rewards (or drawbacks) of several players’ performances this year.
It’s also worth noting that Bloom drafted Matthew Liberatore in 2018 while serving as Senior Vice President of Baseball Operations. There’s a good chance Bloom wanted Liberatore to return to being a starting pitcher before taking over baseball operations, as Bernie Miklasz and Katie Woo discussed on a recent episode of Cardinal Territory.
Matthew Liberatore won a starting position after a good spring. With a stable role and guaranteed playing time, he has the opportunity to develop into a legitimate starting pitcher. 2025 is his chance to maximize his potential. I hope he does.
