It is Wednesday, January 14, 2026, and if you are looking for a box score or a starting pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals today, I’ve got some news that might be a bummer: there isn’t a game. We are currently in the dead of the MLB offseason. The crack of the bat is still over a month away.
Right now, the "pitching" happening for the Cardinals isn't on a mound in St. Louis or Jupiter; it’s happening in the front office. Chaim Bloom, who has taken over the reins of baseball operations, is busy rebuilding a rotation that looks almost nothing like the one fans saw a couple of years ago. In fact, just yesterday, the team sent shockwaves through the Lou by trading franchise cornerstone Nolan Arenado to the Arizona Diamondbacks. Why? To get more pitching.
Specifically, they brought back a 22-year-old right-hander named Jack Martinez. He’s a big kid—6-foot-4, 215 pounds—who was just drafted in 2025 out of Arizona State. He isn't pitching for the big league club today, but he's the kind of high-ceiling arm the team is suddenly obsessed with.
The Cardinals Starting Rotation: Who Takes the Ball in 2026?
Since there’s no game today, the real question is who will be the guy on Opening Day (which, by the way, is March 26 against the Tampa Bay Rays). The rotation is in a massive state of flux. Sonny Gray, Kyle Gibson, and Lance Lynn are gone or on their way out as the team pivots to a younger, cheaper, and hopefully more "swing-and-miss" staff.
Honestly, the depth chart looks a little wild right now. Here is how the projected 2026 rotation is shaping up:
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Matthew Liberatore is the closest thing to an "ace" this young group has. He’s 26 now and coming off a 2025 season where he finally looked like a legitimate major league starter. He threw over 150 innings with a 4.21 ERA. It wasn't Cy Young stuff, but it was reliable. He just signed a one-year deal to avoid arbitration, and the team is banking on him finding a "secret pitch" he’s been working on this winter to help him get right-handed hitters out more consistently.
Dustin May is the biggest wild card in the deck. The Cardinals signed him to a one-year, $12.5 million deal. You know the story with May: electric stuff, hair that's hard to miss, and a medical history that’s longer than a CVS receipt. If he’s healthy, he’s a front-of-the-rotation monster. If not, well, it’s a gamble Bloom felt he had to take.
Andre Pallante has basically willed himself into a starting role. He doesn't strike out the world, but he induces ground balls at a rate that makes infielders earn their paychecks. He’s a lock for the middle of the rotation.
Michael McGreevy and Richard Fitts are the new guard. McGreevy showed flashes of being a high-floor "innings eater" at the end of 2025. Fitts came over in the offseason and is expected to compete for the fifth spot alongside guys like Hunter Dobbins and Kyle Leahy.
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Why the "Pitcher of the Day" is Chaim Bloom
If you're asking who is pitching for the Cardinals today, you’re really asking about the strategy. The "Cardinal Way" used to mean buying veteran innings. It was about stability. But after the disappointments of the last few seasons, the philosophy has shifted.
The Arenado trade is the clearest signal yet. Trading an eight-time All-Star for a minor league pitcher like Jack Martinez tells you everything. The team is clearing the decks. They sent $31 million to Arizona just to make the deal happen. They are prioritizing the 2027 and 2028 windows over winning 82 games in 2026.
It’s a tough pill for fans to swallow. You’ve got Masyn Winn and Jordan Walker developing, but without a veteran anchor like Arenado or Goldy (whose future is also a giant question mark), the 2026 season feels like a laboratory experiment.
When Do the Cardinals Actually Start Pitching Again?
If you are itching for real baseball, you don't have to wait too much longer. The Cardinals' 2026 Spring Training schedule is already out.
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- February 21: The first "real" pitcher of 2026 will take the mound at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium in Jupiter, Florida. They’ll be facing the Washington Nationals.
- March 4: An interesting one—the Cardinals will pitch against the Nicaragua National Team in an exhibition game for the World Baseball Classic.
- March 26: Opening Day at Busch Stadium. This is the one that counts.
Until then, the "pitchers" are just names on a depth chart. We’ll likely see more moves before February. The Cardinals still need a veteran "stop-gap" starter. Names like Jose Quintana or Tyler Mahle have been floated as cheap options to provide some leadership to a group that currently averages only about 35 career starts per man. That is a terrifyingly low number for a franchise with the history of St. Louis.
Actionable Steps for Cardinals Fans Today
Since there’s no game to watch, here is how you can stay on top of the pitching situation as Spring Training approaches:
- Monitor the Waiver Wire: Chaim Bloom is famous for finding bullpen gems and back-end starters on the scrap heap. Expect several "minor league deals with an invite to spring training" over the next three weeks.
- Track Matthew Liberatore’s Bullpens: Keep an eye on local St. Louis beat writers like Derrick Goold or Rob Rains. If Liberatore’s "new pitch" (rumored to be a different variation of a changeup or cutter) is looking sharp in early sessions, his fantasy value and his importance to the team skyrocket.
- Check the WBC Rosters: Since the World Baseball Classic is happening in March 2026, several Cardinals pitchers might be leaving camp early to play for their home countries. This will give younger prospects like Jack Martinez more innings in Grapefruit League games than they would normally get.
The rotation for 2026 isn't set in stone. In fact, it's written in pencil with a very large eraser nearby. But for today, January 14, the "pitching" is all about trades, arbitration, and hope.