Cardinals position battles: Areas to watch as spring competition heats up

New York Times

11-03-2025

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — The final two weeks of spring training serve as a checkpoint for most front offices and managers. After four weeks of ramping up, getting reps and finding feel, the competition begins to heat up.
For the St. Louis Cardinals, multiple position battles are taking form.
'Up to this point, guys have been getting their legs under them, timing, and all of that,' manager Oli Marmol said Monday afternoon. 'Right around this time is when you start to kick into gear and really evaluate performance.
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'Two weeks is still a decent amount of time to do that.'
The Cardinals plan on using the remainder of their Grapefruit League season to solidify multiple areas of the roster. Some positions, such as center field, are viewed as traditional competitions between two players. Others, such as the rotation and the bench, have multiple spots open with several candidates — and no leading name.
Here are the position battles to watch as the Cardinals look to finalize their Opening Day roster:
It's been the most compelling question for the team all spring, and it will likely remain so until the final day of camp.
The Cardinals are torn between their two left-handed defensive specialists in center field. If spring training ended today, Scott would see the nod over Siani based on his performance. Scott is 7-for-22, while Siani is 1-for-25.
But offensive numbers won't decide this position. How each player impacts the game will. The Cardinals have been impressed by Scott's work ethic, confidence and maturity this spring, with multiple personnel noting his improved athleticism across the board. They were also pleased with what Siani did on the field last year and believe he's established himself as one of the best defensive center fielders in the league.
Textbook relay from Scott-Winn-Herrera here, which will probably make all you #CardinalsFutureEnthusiasts pretty happy. https://t.co/aPKTQoSB1k
— Katie Woo (@katiejwoo) March 9, 2025
Scott's speed can make him one of baseball's biggest base-stealing threats. Siani already has a year of center-field experience under his belt. Both players profile as glove-first, but Scott has shown much more pop than Siani, especially this spring. The Cardinals will continue evaluating each player's offense, but the focus will be more on the batted ball profile than the in-game result. Things like exit velocity, expected batting average and using the whole field will carry more weight in evaluations than the traditional batting average and OPS stats.
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The center-field battle is neck-and-neck. It would be very unlikely for the Cardinals to carry both Scott and Siani, given their similarities and the need for versatility with the remainder of the bench. St. Louis seems to be comfortable using Lars Nootbaar as a backup center fielder. That means a true competition between Siani and Scott will take place over the final 14 games — and it's anyone's guess who will win it.
Sonny Gray, Erick Fedde and Miles Mikolas have three of the five rotation spots locked up. That leaves Steven Matz, Andre Pallante, Michael McGreevy and Matthew Liberatore to compete for the remaining jobs.
Yes, Liberatore has firmly established himself as a rotation candidate despite his success as a multi-inning reliever last season. The club cited organizational depth as the reason for stretching Liberatore out to start the spring, while acknowledging that it's easier to cut innings down if needed than ramp them up. It's also what was deemed best for Liberatore's preparation — he likes to throw and use his entire arsenal, and there are many more opportunities to do that as a starter in spring than a reliever.
But Liberatore's stuff has played up this spring and has caused the organization to consider him for a rotation role. He came up through the minor leagues as a starting pitching prospect and has bounced from rotation to relief throughout his three seasons in the big leagues. Liberatore adjusted to the inconsistency, and now considers it a strength. The Cardinals have seen that and are considering trying Liberatore as a starter one more time, despite his success as a multi-inning reliever in the second half last season.
Other players are just as thought-provoking. McGreevy has impressed in camp, allowing just one earned run over 7 2/3 innings. The club is high on Pallante after his solid second half, and there is an argument to be made to keep Matz in the rotation — if he can stay healthy.
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Performance will impact some of the rotation decision, but St. Louis will also consider its slim starting pitching options in Triple A. Some in the organization believe there is a benefit in starting Matz and keeping at least two starters in Triple A to start the year for depth. Outside of McGreevy, a few arms are major-league ready. That includes top pitching prospects Quinn Mathews and Tink Hence, and Tekoah Roby, who is working his way back from two consecutive injury-shortened seasons.
The Cardinals have a few relief roles pinned down, including closer Ryan Helsley and set-up man JoJo Romero. Ryan Fernandez and John King have all but solidified their spots as well.
The rest of the bullpen is up for grabs. Some of this will be decided via a trickle-down effect from the rotation. For example, if Matz doesn't crack the starting five, he would be used as a multi-inning swingman — similar to how Liberatore was used in the second half last season. Liberatore could also return to that role (or start the year in Triple A for starting pitching depth). It is unlikely both Matz and Liberatore start the year as relievers, though. Their roles would be too similar and the Cardinals would be carrying four left-handed relief pitchers (including Romero and King).
St. Louis must also decide the right side of its bullpen, with Gordon Graceffo, Chris Roycroft, Riley O'Brien, Nick Anderson (non-roster invite), Roddery Munoz and Kyle Leahy all in the mix. They've been a tight group all spring with no clear frontrunners. Game performances for these players especially will matter over the next two weeks.
The Cardinals lack a true backup shortstop but feel they don't necessarily need one behind Masyn Winn. Instead, they'll consider a serviceable utility player who can fill in when needed, as they don't expect nearly as many off days for Winn this year compared to the first half of last season. Three backup utility players are on the spring roster: José Fermín, Jose Barrero (non-roster invite) and Michael Helman. Fermín hasn't played an inning of shortstop at the major-league level, but the advanced metrics the Cardinals use to evaluate their infielders show that his defense would slot right around league average. Barrero, a former touted prospect for the Cincinnati Reds, has caught some eyes due to his athleticism, but he's struggled to hit consistently throughout his career.
The Cardinals also seek to keep a right-handed bat to round out the reserves. That spot looks ideal for Luken Baker, who has clubbed three homers this spring. St. Louis lacked a right-handed hitter off the bench for most of last season, which left options lacking for Marmol in the later innings of games. Baker, a designated hitter and first baseman, is blocked at both positions. But the Cardinals believe he has value as a power bat and think he can thrive in a pinch-hit role, with Burleson serving in the same capacity from the left side on days he does not start at DH.
First Baker Bomb of the spring! 💣 pic.twitter.com/LufA8EPERf
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) February 24, 2025
The final spot on the position-playing side will be set for a second catcher, but the Cardinals haven't tabbed Iván Herrera or Pedro Pagés as the starter yet. Both will be on the Opening Day roster though, which has been the plan all along.
(Top photo of Victor Scott II: Jonathan Dyer / Imagn Images)