The St. Louis Cardinals pitching staff underwent a lot of changes this offseason.

On Thursday, the Cardinals offered the first indication on who the potential Opening Day starter could be.

According to a post on "X" from Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat, Matthew Liberatore will start for St. Louis in its Grapefruit League opener against the Washington Nationals at 1:05 p.m. ET on Feb. 21 at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium in Jupiter, Fla.

According to Jones, the relievers who'll pitch behind Liberatore are: Quinn Mathews (two innings), Ryan Fernandez, Luis Gastelum and Packy Naughton.

Liberatore currently projects as the Cardinals' Opening Day starter according to FanGraphs' roster resource depth chart. The relievers set to pitch behind Liberatore aren't currently projected to make the Opening Day roster.

Liberatore was a first-round pick in the 2018 MLB Draft by the Tampa Bay Rays out of high school. He didn't make his major league debut until 2022 with the Cardinals. He was mostly utilized in a reliever role until this past season, where he transitioned to a starter full-time.

In his first full year as a starter, Liberatore posted a 4.21 ERA and struck out 122 batters in 151.2 innings pitched across 29 starts.

Last season was a mixed bag for Liberatore as a starter but he excelled at not walking batters and getting opponents to chase. He had a 6.2% walk rate, which ranked in the 82nd percentile of the major leagues according to Baseball Savant. He also generated a 29.5% chase rate, which placed him in the 65th percentile of baseball.

Early indications in spring training is that St. Louis will lean on the 26-year-old left-handed hurler as its ace for 2026. The Cardinals traded away starting pitcher Sonny Gray and top 100 pitching prospects Jurrangelo Cijntje and Liam Doyle are still a ways away from debuting.

If Liberatore is able to put together a solid season, it could also provide St. Louis some much-needed consistency amidst its rebuilding efforts. The Cardinals also acquired starting pitchers Hunter Dobbins and Richard Fitts this offseason in respective trades with the Boston Red Sox. The team also signed Dustin May to a one-year deal this offseason and there's been speculation St. Louis could deal him at the trade deadline if he puts together a solid season.

The Cardinals' rotation will likely look significantly different by the end of 2026 than it does Opening Day, and Liberatore's performance will have a major impact on how much the team tweaks the rotation over the course of the season.

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