Rotation as of now

[Ronnie Dobbs]

Dustin May
Matthew Liberatore
Michael McGreevy
Richard Fitts
Hunter Dobbins

Kyle Leahy
Andre Pallante
Quinn Mathews

Not a bad group to have heading into January. I'm guessing Bloom is still possibly looking to add another, more established player. Not much upside, but you have to build a base. I guess May and Libertore have the ability to be a #2 type. It will be interesting to see if Liberatore can take that next step this year or if he is going to remain a back of the rotation guy. Leahy and Pallante are what they are, but it's nice to have some guys in reserve who can step in and fill innings, if needed. And hopefully Mathews can figure it out this year. I didn't include the Mautz, Hence, Hjerpe, Henderson, or Hansen, but those are some more back of the rotation types who could potentially fill in when needed at some point during the year.

Of course you don't want your rotation to look like this 3 years from now. You gotta hope that Doyle and some of the higher upside guys work out. But for a team who had one of the most expensive rotations in baseball the last couple of years, despite not getting good production, it is nice to have some young, controllable (4-6 years for most of those guys) guys who you can count on to do the job that you pay a lot of money for a Lance Lynn or Kyle Gibson or Miles Mikolas to do.

[82birds]

Dustin May
Matthew Liberatore
Michael McGreevy
Richard Fitts
Hunter Dobbins

Kyle Leahy
Andre Pallante
Quinn Mathews

Not a bad group to have heading into January. I'm guessing Bloom is still possibly looking to add another, more established player. Not much upside, but you have to build a base. I guess May and Libertore have the ability to be a #2 type. It will be interesting to see if Liberatore can take that next step this year or if he is going to remain a back of the rotation guy. Leahy and Pallante are what they are, but it's nice to have some guys in reserve who can step in and fill innings, if needed. And hopefully Mathews can figure it out this year. I didn't include the Mautz, Hence, Hjerpe, Henderson, or Hansen, but those are some more back of the rotation types who could potentially fill in when needed at some point during the year.

Of course you don't want your rotation to look like this 3 years from now. You gotta hope that Doyle and some of the higher upside guys work out. But for a team who had one of the most expensive rotations in baseball the last couple of years, despite not getting good production, it is nice to have some young, controllable (4-6 years for most of those guys) guys who you can count on to do the job that you pay a lot of money for a Lance Lynn or Kyle Gibson or Miles Mikolas to do.

yup

[3dender]

Dustin May
Matthew Liberatore
Michael McGreevy
Richard Fitts
Hunter Dobbins

Kyle Leahy
Andre Pallante
Quinn Mathews

Not a bad group to have heading into January. I'm guessing Bloom is still possibly looking to add another, more established player...

I think he's done. He spoke a few days ago about looking to add one more starter in trade/FA, and I think Dobbins is it.

Personally I think this rotation stands to be better than last year. Sure you don't have the Gray upside, but you need two injuries before you get to Pallante, and nobody should be as bad as Fedde/Mikolas. And let's be real about Gray, he was awful in several starts too. Then there's the potential for Mathews or even Doyle/Mautz to make an appearance as the year goes on.

[craviduce]

Dustin May
Matthew Liberatore
Michael McGreevy
Richard Fitts
Hunter Dobbins

Kyle Leahy
Andre Pallante
Quinn Mathews

Not a bad group to have heading into January. I'm guessing Bloom is still possibly looking to add another, more established player. Not much upside, but you have to build a base. I guess May and Libertore have the ability to be a #2 type. It will be interesting to see if Liberatore can take that next step this year or if he is going to remain a back of the rotation guy. Leahy and Pallante are what they are, but it's nice to have some guys in reserve who can step in and fill innings, if needed. And hopefully Mathews can figure it out this year. I didn't include the Mautz, Hence, Hjerpe, Henderson, or Hansen, but those are some more back of the rotation types who could potentially fill in when needed at some point during the year.

Of course you don't want your rotation to look like this 3 years from now. You gotta hope that Doyle and some of the higher upside guys work out. But for a team who had one of the most expensive rotations in baseball the last couple of years, despite not getting good production, it is nice to have some young, controllable (4-6 years for most of those guys) guys who you can count on to do the job that you pay a lot of money for a Lance Lynn or Kyle Gibson or Miles Mikolas to do.

It's not bad. There's some risk there, but there's a lot of back up, too. Maybe May will stay healthy enough by June to flip for some more prospects...perhaps a bat for 2027?

It's relying heavily on Libby and McGreevy hitting 175 innings apiece. I hope they do.

[ClassicO]

Good post, but I think Pallante's days are numbered (thankfully).

[rockondlouie]

Good post, but I think Pallante's days are numbered (thankfully).

+1

[DFW Cards Fan]

I mean, it is pretty bad, but that's okay. That rotation will lose 90-100 games. But since we got that 13th pick making us eligible for the lottery again in 2027, it's not the worst outcome in the world. And if even one of them proves they can be a good piece for the next 5 years with Doyle et al, future draft picks, and potential salary redeployment into FAs, the future can look good.

[C-Unit]

It's gonna cover the innings. Should fit the bill for a rebuild team.

[ICCFIM2]

I mean, it is pretty bad, but that's okay. That rotation will lose 90-100 games. But since we got that 13th pick making us eligible for the lottery again in 2027, it's not the worst outcome in the world. And if even one of them proves they can be a good piece for the next 5 years with Doyle et al, future draft picks, and potential salary redeployment into FAs, the future can look good.

It might be bad, it might not. You have 5 hungry guys with another half dozen chasing them for MLB rotation spots. Needing to perform to keep your spot is a lot of motivation to perform well instead of relying on your contract to keep your spot. Some will fold under the pressure, but at least 2-3 should emerge as rotation holders for years to come. Then the Cards just need to hit on 2 more of the half dozen in the chase to have a decent rotation. I think this is exactly where the Cards should be.

[Cusecards]

Dustin May
Matthew Liberatore
Michael McGreevy
Richard Fitts
Hunter Dobbins

Kyle Leahy
Andre Pallante
Quinn Mathews

Not a bad group to have heading into January. I'm guessing Bloom is still possibly looking to add another, more established player. Not much upside, but you have to build a base. I guess May and Libertore have the ability to be a #2 type. It will be interesting to see if Liberatore can take that next step this year or if he is going to remain a back of the rotation guy. Leahy and Pallante are what they are, but it's nice to have some guys in reserve who can step in and fill innings, if needed. And hopefully Mathews can figure it out this year. I didn't include the Mautz, Hence, Hjerpe, Henderson, or Hansen, but those are some more back of the rotation types who could potentially fill in when needed at some point during the year.

Of course you don't want your rotation to look like this 3 years from now. You gotta hope that Doyle and some of the higher upside guys work out. But for a team who had one of the most expensive rotations in baseball the last couple of years, despite not getting good production, it is nice to have some young, controllable (4-6 years for most of those guys) guys who you can count on to do the job that you pay a lot of money for a Lance Lynn or Kyle Gibson or Miles Mikolas to do.

I’m good with watching these guys in 2026.
I actually hope they now keep Leahy in the BP.
He has been solid there!
As 2026 moves to 2027 there appear to be more
high potential arms to follow.

[Dicktar2023]

Yeah, it looks like Bloom's rotation plans for 2026 are pretty complex. Luckily, Marmol and the ML coaches have a lot of experience juggling overly complicated rosters with some success.

Just kidding, they've failed miserably. But they do have a list of prefabricated excuses ready to go. The organization and the State Media won't have to put any effort into any of that.

[cardstatman]

Career batting stats against Cardinal starters

.AVG .OBP .SLG .OPS .PA. Player
.266 .336 .394 .730 1983 Pallante
.268 .328 .436 .764 1442 Liberatore
.228 .306 .375 .681 1356 May
.254 .293 .401 .695 486 McGreevy
.251 .320 .405 .725 280 Fitts
.257 .313 .401 .713 256 Dobbins

[Goldfan]

Career batting stats against Cardinal starters

.AVG .OBP .SLG .OPS .PA. Player
.266 .336 .394 .730 1983 Pallante
.268 .328 .436 .764 1442 Liberatore
.228 .306 .375 .681 1356 May
.254 .293 .401 .695 486 McGreevy
.251 .320 .405 .725 280 Fitts
.257 .313 .401 .713 256 Dobbins

MLB league avg around .245

[scoutyjones2]

Dustin May
Matthew Liberatore
Michael McGreevy
Richard Fitts
Hunter Dobbins

Kyle Leahy
Andre Pallante
Quinn Mathews

Not a bad group to have heading into January. I'm guessing Bloom is still possibly looking to add another, more established player. Not much upside, but you have to build a base. I guess May and Libertore have the ability to be a #2 type. It will be interesting to see if Liberatore can take that next step this year or if he is going to remain a back of the rotation guy. Leahy and Pallante are what they are, but it's nice to have some guys in reserve who can step in and fill innings, if needed. And hopefully Mathews can figure it out this year. I didn't include the Mautz, Hence, Hjerpe, Henderson, or Hansen, but those are some more back of the rotation types who could potentially fill in when needed at some point during the year.

Of course you don't want your rotation to look like this 3 years from now. You gotta hope that Doyle and some of the higher upside guys work out. But for a team who had one of the most expensive rotations in baseball the last couple of years, despite not getting good production, it is nice to have some young, controllable (4-6 years for most of those guys) guys who you can count on to do the job that you pay a lot of money for a Lance Lynn or Kyle Gibson or Miles Mikolas to do.

Dick Fitts pitched 75 innings last year...

[Bomber1]

Dustin May
Matthew Liberatore
Michael McGreevy
Richard Fitts
Hunter Dobbins

Kyle Leahy
Andre Pallante
Quinn Mathews

Not a bad group to have heading into January. I'm guessing Bloom is still possibly looking to add another, more established player. Not much upside, but you have to build a base. I guess May and Libertore have the ability to be a #2 type. It will be interesting to see if Liberatore can take that next step this year or if he is going to remain a back of the rotation guy. Leahy and Pallante are what they are, but it's nice to have some guys in reserve who can step in and fill innings, if needed. And hopefully Mathews can figure it out this year. I didn't include the Mautz, Hence, Hjerpe, Henderson, or Hansen, but those are some more back of the rotation types who could potentially fill in when needed at some point during the year.

Of course you don't want your rotation to look like this 3 years from now. You gotta hope that Doyle and some of the higher upside guys work out. But for a team who had one of the most expensive rotations in baseball the last couple of years, despite not getting good production, it is nice to have some young, controllable (4-6 years for most of those guys) guys who you can count on to do the job that you pay a lot of money for a Lance Lynn or Kyle Gibson or Miles Mikolas to do.

I’m good with watching these guys in 2026.
I actually hope they now keep Leahy in the BP.
He has been solid there!
As 2026 moves to 2027 there appear to be more
high potential arms to follow.

I was never a fan of Leahy in the rotation, and I agree he’s been solid.

The odds of a good reliever becoming a good starter are not high.

[Cusecards]

Dustin May
Matthew Liberatore
Michael McGreevy
Richard Fitts
Hunter Dobbins

Kyle Leahy
Andre Pallante
Quinn Mathews

Not a bad group to have heading into January. I'm guessing Bloom is still possibly looking to add another, more established player. Not much upside, but you have to build a base. I guess May and Libertore have the ability to be a #2 type. It will be interesting to see if Liberatore can take that next step this year or if he is going to remain a back of the rotation guy. Leahy and Pallante are what they are, but it's nice to have some guys in reserve who can step in and fill innings, if needed. And hopefully Mathews can figure it out this year. I didn't include the Mautz, Hence, Hjerpe, Henderson, or Hansen, but those are some more back of the rotation types who could potentially fill in when needed at some point during the year.

Of course you don't want your rotation to look like this 3 years from now. You gotta hope that Doyle and some of the higher upside guys work out. But for a team who had one of the most expensive rotations in baseball the last couple of years, despite not getting good production, it is nice to have some young, controllable (4-6 years for most of those guys) guys who you can count on to do the job that you pay a lot of money for a Lance Lynn or Kyle Gibson or Miles Mikolas to do.

I’m good with watching these guys in 2026.
I actually hope they now keep Leahy in the BP.
He has been solid there!
As 2026 moves to 2027 there appear to be more
high potential arms to follow.

I was never a fan of Leahy in the rotation, and I agree he’s been solid.

The odds of a good reliever becoming a good starter are not high.

Well it’s not like they’re loaded in the BP so I hope he stays there since they’ve just picked up some arms to give rotation shots to.