St. Louis Cardinals left-hander Matthew Liberatore, who is in contention to start for the team on Opening Day, is experimenting with a new splitter this spring.

Speaking on Foul Territory TV on Monday, he said that the inspiration behind the new offering is Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Trey Yesavage, who excelled as a rookie in the 2025 playoffs. Yesavage helped lead Toronto to the World Series, winning games in each of the American League Division Series, American League Championship Series and World Series.

The Blue Jays were beaten by the Dodgers in seven games. Liberatore said that he was inspired by Yesavage because of the similar arm slots and release angle of the two.

Just 26 years old, Liberatore made his major league debut in 2022. Originally drafted in the first round by the Tampa Bay Rays, he was traded to St. Louis in the deal that sent Randy Arozarena to Tampa Bay (2020).

A reliever for most of 2024, Liberatore broke out in the rotation in 2025, going 8-12 with a 4.21 ERA in 29 starts. He struck out 122 batters in 151.2 innings, so he'll have to continue to develop some swing-and-miss stuff, but he looks like a solid pillar for the rebuilding Cardinals in the rotation. Perhaps the splitter can help in those efforts.

The Arizona native is under team control through 2029 and will pair with Andre Pallante, May, Hunter Dobbins, Michael McGreevy and Richard Fitts as rotation options. Young prospects like Quinn Matthews, Jurrangelo Cijntje and Liam Doyle could factor into the plans as well, and so could Kyle Leahy.

In two appearances, Liberatore has tossed five innings, giving up one earned run on four hits. He's walked one and struck out seven. He spoke openly this offseason about wanting to be the team's Opening Day starter, so we'll see if he gets it over the newly-acquired May.

--The Cardinals extended manager Oliver Marmol on Sunday, giving him a two-year deal with an option for a third year. He's now under contract through 2028 with the option for 2029. Here are the reasons why St. Louis might have done it despite not making the playoffs for each of the last three years.

--The Cardinals have made a series of roster moves on Monday, re-assigning several players to minor league camp. Cijntje, acquired in the Brendan Donovan trade, was one of those players.

Remember to join our CARDINALS on ROUNDTABLE community, which is FREE! You can post your own thoughts, in text or video form, and you can engage with our Roundtable staff, as well as other CARDINALS fans. If prompted to download the Roundtable APP, that's free too!