Wednesday, April 02

JUPITER, Fla. -- Thoughtful and introspective, but also someone who is usually mild-mannered and shy around the spotlight, Matthew Liberatore’s understated and chill wedding to long-time girlfriend, Natalie, back in December spoke volumes about his no-frills persona outside of baseball. 

“I don't want to be flashy. I don't want it to necessarily be about me. I don't like talking about myself or celebrating myself, really at all,” Liberatore said while describing his thinking going into the small, but intimate wedding on Dec. 14. “I wanted [the wedding] to be like a ‘hangout.’ Like, if we invited all our best friends over and threw a party, what would that look like? And then, just add a reception on top of it.” 

The 6-foot-4 Liberatore’s union to 5-foot-2 Natalie went off without a hitch and it proved to be the wedding he had always hoped for -- no planning headaches, no year-long angst or arguments over the food offerings and chapel availabilities, minus the tuxedo fittings and all the pretention that usually goes into such a ceremony. 

In many ways, the uniquely Arizona wedding reflected the personality of the 25-year-old Liberatore, the talented left-hander who often willingly subjects his own ego for the good of the Cardinals. If they need a sixth-inning reliever to serve as a bridge to the back end of the bullpen, Liberatore has been that pitcher for the Cards. If needed to cover the final three innings of a game to give his fellow relievers a night off, the rubber-armed Liberatore has been a willing candidate. Need a spot-starter when a pitcher is unexpectedly scratched? Liberatore has also filled that role quite capably in the past. 

“On a personal-goal level, I don’t ever want to be satisfied with where I am, so for that reason alone I want to keep pushing the envelope,” said Liberatore, who struck out two in a starting assignment in Saturday's 8-2 win over the Marlins. “But in terms of my playing goals, I want to win a World Series. That goal doesn’t have a starting pitcher or a relief pitcher title on it. I want to be a World Series champion. 

“If I end up never getting to start again, but I play for some really good teams and I’m able to contribute to those teams, then that’s what I really care about. But on a personal level, I love starting because that’s what I grew up doing, so I want to continue striving for that goal.” 

In many ways, Liberatore -- a 2018 first-round pick whom the Cardinals acquired in the trade that involved Randy Arozarena -- is the poster boy of the dilemma St. Louis is facing in 2025. A club that had hoped to center its season around growth developments for blossoming standouts Masyn Winn, Jordan Walker, Nolan Gorman, Andre Pallante, Michael McGreevy and Liberatore still has a crowded roster that includes established veterans Nolan Arenado, Willson Contreras, Sonny Gray and Ryan Helsley. Are the Redbirds trying to win now if it sacrifices development? Or should they be solely building for the future? 

As it relates to Liberatore, he can be of the most help to the Cardinals in 2025 as a short-burst reliever who helps the bullpen remain the club’s strong suit. However, Liberatore’s long-term worth to the Cardinals likely is as a starter who can be a dependable pillar of the rotation. Liberatore, who seemed to finally find his MLB niche in 2024 when 54 of his 60 appearances came in relief, admitted that the two roles carry different mindsets, but he’s willing to fill the one that most helps the club. 

“Maybe in the mainstream view, being [in a setup role] can be a thankless job because nobody remembers who got the ball to the [closer], but the first pitch is just as important as the last pitch, and I’ve always tried to view it that way,” Liberatore said. “We can’t get to the back end of our bullpen and be winning if we don’t hold the lead when we’re in games. So I view my role just as important as any other role.” 

Liberatore’s selfless, no-drama nature worked well when he and Natalie were discussing their nuptials. Not long after he proposed, they were on to plans for an intimate and low-key wedding that suited them perfectly, he said.  

“I wanted something intimate, and I didn't want to wait a year to plan it and go through all the stresses and tough times,” he said. “We invited our closest friends and family that were local, and we didn't have a dress code because we didn't want anybody to have to spend money on suits. We had an intimate get together and it was great.” 

Gray, the pitcher the Cardinals signed to a three-year, $75 million free-agent deal before the 2024 season, hasn’t looked anything near his dominant self throughout this Spring Training. Not only does the 35-year-old have a 12.56 ERA after four spring outings, but he has shockingly surrendered eight home runs in just 14 1/3 innings of work. 

To put that into perspective, Gray allowed just eight home runs over 184 innings in 2023 when he finished second in American League Cy Young voting while pitching for the Twins, the team he will face on Thursday as the Cardinals’ Opening Day starter at Busch Stadium. 

That alarming home run trend actually started over the second half of last season, when he surrendered 13 of the 21 homers he allowed after the All-Star break. Gray, who set franchise records for strikeout-per-nine-innings rate and strikeout percentage in 2024, finished last season on the injured list because of pain in the flexor tendon of his right forearm. A platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection in his forearm kept him from throwing for multiple weeks -- something that set back his offseason throwing plan. 

Gray wonders now if that series of events is behind the drop in velocity in his pitches this spring. Still, he thinks his experience will help him bridge the gap early in the season until he can fully rebuild his arm strength. 

“I will find a way; there’s no doubt in my mind about that. I will find a way, but it just might look a little different than what I’m used to,” Gray said candidly. “Rearing back and throwing it at 89 or 90 when you are used to it coming out at 93 or some 94s, which I think will come back, [is troubling]. … I’ve always been able to manipulate a baseball, and we’ll see. But definitely, I'll figure it out and there’s no doubt in my mind about that.” 

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