Cardinals Rumors: 3 players who won’t be on the roster by July 1

The St. Louis Cardinals roster has some serious questions entering the month of June. Will they be buyers or sellers at the deadline?

The NL Central is wide open, but that doesn’t mean this Cardinals team has a legitimate chance at making a postseason run. With the Brewers, Pirates, Reds and Cubs in front of them, St. Louis has a lot of work to do to prove to this front office that they should be buyers at the trade deadline. John Mozeliak was adamant just last week that he wanted to add to the roster come late July. However, should the Cards losing ways continue, there’s no reason to hold onto rentals, or make a major addition for that matter.

Making the right moves this month could play a major role in determining St. Louis’ direction. Right now, they don’t have one, and Oli Marmol isn’t helping. The Cards need to figure out what they have in some of their younger players like Jordan Walker and Nolan Gorman. Also, who out of their outfield logjam should be trade assets, and who is untouchable down the line?

These three players, however, are more worried about their immediate future, not late July.

Cardinals who won’t be back: Matthew Liberatore

Maybe this will be the time Matthew Liberatore finally sticks in the major leagues, but my money is against it happening. Liberatore is a top-100 prospect for a reason, but St. Louis has yet to give him much of a chance. Every start is greeted with far too much pressure for the 23-year-old pitcher, with the fear that should he struggle he’ll end up right back in Memphis.

St. Louis has a history of mismanaging young pitchers. Look no further than Sandy Alcantara and Zac Gallen. Yet, the same player development staff is largely in charge, making their treatment of Liberatore look all too familiar.

So, it’s with that knowledge that Liberatore could very well end up back in the minors by late June. He was gifted a spot in the rotation for now, but Liberatore has two pitchers on his tail in Steven Matz (a high-priced free agent) and Jake Woodford, who is soon to be activated off the injured list.

If Liberatore can outlast both of those pitchers, he will have truly earned his spot. Here’s to hoping I’m wrong, at least this time.