As a unit, the St. Louis Cardinals' starters posted mediocre-to-slightly-below-average full-season stats in 2026. They finished 20thin ERA (4.27), third in HR/9 (0.99), 14thin FIP (4.09), and 26thin batting average against (.250).
But there was more good than bad to take away, as several of St. Louis' young starters took steps in the right direction. There is definitely room for improvement, whether that's finishing at-bats with two strikes or limiting traffic overall, but most of the Cardinals' starting pitchers head into the offseason with a positive outlook on 2026.
It was a bounce-back season for Andre Pallante , who lowered his ERA from 5.31 to 3.83 in virtually the same number of innings. Simply put, Pallante's command was much better, limiting walks and keeping the ball from the heart of the plate. As a result, he gave up less hard contact, which bodes well for a pitcher who routinely keeps the ball on the ground.
Aug 17, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Andre Pallante (53) pitches against the Cincinnati Reds in the sixth inning at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images
Increasing his sinker usage, Pallante avoided damage more often. He even introduced a splitter, which he threw sparingly throughout the season as he continues to fine-tune his feel for the pitch. With his unique release point, the 28-year-old right-hander is a solid cog in the Cardinals' rotation and seems to have found a big-league approach that works for him.
The first of what St. Louis hopes is more swing-and-miss from its starting pitchers, Quinn Mathews pitched admirably in his first nine big-league starts. The 25-year-old lefty logged a 3.83 ERA over 49 1/3 innings and became a fixture in the rotation after the Dustin May deal and injuries to other starters.
Aside from his rough outing against the Philadelphia Phillies, where he surrendered seven runs in five innings, Mathews' ERA was 2.84 in his other eight starts. He also amassed four outings with seven strikeouts, including an eight-punchout day against the San Francisco Giants.
Although he honed his command at Triple-A, Mathews' feel took a step back once he got to the majors. Overall, he got fewer bites on his changeup and fastball, leading to longer plate appearances and more walks, which could improve with better tunneling. Still, he didn't give up alarming hard contact and has a spot in St. Louis' starting five going forward.
Finishing with the lowest ERA (3.66) among St. Louis starters, Kyle Leahy put together a promising year. He logged 140 innings, more than he pitched in his first three MLB seasons combined.
Back in a starting role , Leahy's 2026 was bookended by an adjustment period to pitch every fifth day and an innings limit as the season wound down. But in his final 76 innings, Leahy posted a 2.84 ERA with 80 strikeouts.
Overall, he gave up a lot of hard contact and didn't miss many bats, but he escaped trouble relatively consistently. It will be interesting to see how the 29-year-old righty can improve with a year of starting back under his belt.
In his first full season as a starter in the majors, Michael McGreevy gave the Cardinals pretty expected production on the mound. The 26-year-old finished with a 3.95 ERA in 168 2/3 innings. 16 of McGreevy's 31 outings were quality starts, leading St. Louis by far; the next closest was Pallante at 10.
As a contact pitcher with strong command, McGreevy wrapped up at-bats quickly and subsequently went deeper into games more often than his rotationmates. He utilizes a seven-pitch mix, throwing six of his offerings at least 10% of the time. Of all the Cardinals starters, McGreevy currently feels like the most consistent arm heading into 2027.
Because of the Cardinals' crowded rotation at the start of the year, Hunter Dobbins spent most of the season as a swingman. He was also recovering from a torn ACL and still adjusting to a new organization after the Willson Contreras trade sent him from Boston. That led to Dobbins serving a few Triple-A stints and getting spot starts in the first half.
He made 11 MLB appearances and sported a 3.67 ERA over 54 innings. Dobbins started eight of his outings and finished the other three games that he pitched in. That improved on his 4.13 ERA in 13 outings with the Red Sox last season. Most of Dobbins' underlying metrics are pedestrian, filing the 27-year-old as another solid starting option for St. Louis when healthy.
Dobbins' season was cut short in late August after he needed elbow surgery and will miss most of next year, which muddies his future standing in the rotation pecking order.
In a setback season, Matthew Liberatore definitely has the lowest stock in the Cardinals' rotation. His ERA jumped from 4.21 to 5.23 year over year, and he allowed 28 homers in 155 innings. 17 of those homers came at Busch Stadium, a notoriously hard park to hit the ball out of the yard .
Pitcher win-loss records are usually finicky, but the 26-year-old southpaw went 6-14 and was credited with the loss in eight of his first nine starts after the All-Star break.
Sep 23, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Matthew Liberatore (32) delivers a pitch against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
During the 2025 campaign, Liberatore got off to an encouraging start but eventually lost his way, where he gave up more homers. This caused St. Louis to monitor his innings down the stretch. However, those struggles trickled into 2026, and Liberatore and the organization may now be approaching a crossroads .
Ironically, Liberatore's strikeout and whiff rates improved notably, making him a boom-or-bust pitcher, but the increased Ks didn't offset the dingers. Those traits point to a potential return to the bullpen for the lefty, but for now, he will remain in the Cardinals' rotation in a make-or-break situation.
These grades don't include other notable contributors, like Dustin May , who was dealt to the Milwaukee Brewers at the trade deadline, or even rookie southpaws Cooper Hjerpe and Brycen Mautz , who could factor in as Cardinals starting pitchers down the line.
Essentially, every starter aside from Liberatore had more positives than negatives in 2026, especially the homegrown guys . But this group still has room to improve. Many of these pitchers have similar ceilings and floors, and with a couple of them entering their late 20s, St. Louis trading one or more wouldn't be a surprise.
Injuries tested the Cardinals' rotation depth more than in recent years, which could keep them from dealing these arms in the winter. But the franchise still searches for frontline starters, and whether those pitchers are still developing or are not yet in the organization remains to be seen.
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Main Photo Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
