Insider Sheds Light On Game-Changing Cardinals Meeting

The St. Louis Cardinals entered Spring Training in a different position pitching-wise than it has been in over the last few years.

Rather than seemingly having too few options for the rotation, the Cardinals entered camp with a surplus. The expectations heading into camp was that the team would roll into the season with a rotation likely featuring Sonny Gray, Erick Fedde, Miles Mikolas, Steven Matz, and Andre Pallante. The Cardinals didn't trade any of their veterans away so this is what seemed like the most likely option.

But, things changed throughout camp. Michael McGreevy and Matthew Liberatore were both lights-out in camp leading many to wonder if one of the rotation spots could be up for grabs. McGreevy was the guy who was talked about the most in camp, but the front office opted to start him in the minors, move Matz to the bullpen, and open up a spot for Liberatore instead.

The move has panned out and has made the team look like geniuses. Liberatore has been the team's best starter so far this season. He has made nine starts and has a 2.92 ERA and 47-to-8 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 52 1/3 innings pitched.

The Cardinals' rotation has been good overall this season, but no one else has an ERA under 3.44 on the staff. Liberatore has been a complete game-changer for the organization and is a big reason why they currently sit at 26-21 on the season.

The Athletic's Katie Woo shared an intriguing column on Monday that shed some light on the meeting that ultimately led to Liberatore getting his shot this season in the rotation.

"As spring training began to wind down, the St. Louis Cardinals held an imperative staff meeting at Roger Dean Stadium," Woo said. "It included manager Oli Marmol and pitching coach Dusty Blake, along with assistant pitching coaches Julio Rangel and Dean Kiekhefer. Bench coach Daniel Descalso and coach Jon Jay were also in attendance, as was president of baseball operations John Mozeliak. The meeting’s purpose? Figuring out what to do with Matthew Liberatore. 'We already knew he could be a good back-end reliever,' Marmol recalled Sunday. 'We knew he could be a guy that is lights out for multiple innings. But we’re not finding anything out by just hitting the repeat button there.'

"In a season focused on opportunity and development, coaches wondered, shouldn’t Liberatore, who came up through the minor leagues as a starting pitching prospect, have a true chance to be one That’s what Marmol and Blake pushed. They were met with zero pushback. When it came time for the Cardinals to break camp at the end of March, Liberatore would be their No. 5 starting pitcher, and Steven Matz would serve in the hybrid role."

The Cardinals made the right decision and now are feeling the benefit of it.