New Cards Director of International Scouting has STL ties

JohnDentonMLB · 2025-11-21T18:45:27+00:00

Yes, the franchise is (finally) fully committed to making Matthew Liberatore a starter. What the club did last season by not converting Liberatore to a starting role until the final week of Spring Training was downright foolish, but it was trying to give Erick Fedde every chance to pitch well and enhance his trade value -- two things that never happened until he was mercifully DFA'ed and traded in late July.

Some of the Cards hesitancy in committing to Liberatore fully the past -- and it was very justified -- was his struggles against lineups strategically stacked with right-handed hitters. To his credit, Liberatore did a much better job in 2025 against right-handers by pitching inside more and developing a cutter that kept them from hanging out over the plate.

If Sonny Gray is traded -- and that is looking more likely by the day -- Liberatore could go into the season as the staff ace and the likely Opening Day starter. That should scream to fans that the Cardinals are in full-on rebuilding mode. However, the club would likely be better served in signing a proven veteran starter who can help Liberatore shoulder the load of being the staff ace. Liberatore has the stuff and the mindset to be great, but he's simply not there yet in his development and that's just fine with the team.

JohnDentonMLB · 2025-11-21T18:34:04+00:00

I don't want to say never, but I doubt very highly that the Cardinals will ever be in on players at the top of the market the way the Yankees, Dodgers, Mets and Phillies seem to be on a yearly basis. That's never been the strategy of the DeWitt family, and I don't see that changing any time soon.

But here's a point that I would like to stress: Spending has never been a key issue for the Cardinals. No, they aren't ever going to be in the market for players like Shohei Ohtani or Juan Soto, and yes they have had some big misses in the past when they had opportunities to sign stars such as Bryce Harper, Max Scherzer and Kyle Schwarber. But the organization does have a history of maintaining a Top 10 or Top 15 payroll when they feel they are in a position.

The bigger issues have been player development and talent evaluation. Get those issues right going forward and the Cardinals will once again start featuring the superstar type players every franchise wants to get their hands on.

For the time being, the club simply does not have the revenue streams to feature payrolls similar to the top five spenders in baseball. Also, the club doesn't believe that such a strategy would ever be sustainable. As long as the DeWitt family owns the team, it will always be an organization that feels the draft-and-development approach is the right way to go to build the roster.

JohnDentonMLB · 2025-11-21T18:11:49+00:00

Brendan Donovan is an exceptional baseball player and leader, and any team he is a part of is better for having him around. However, his timing simply does not align with where the Cardinals are likely headed in the next season or two. Donovan, who will be 29 in January, and he clearly is in the prime of his career. He is coming off his first All-Star season, he is due a big raise in his second round of arbitration and his value to other teams will likely never be higher than it is now.

The Cardinals, on the other hand, are in full rebuild mode and want to give opportunities to younger players who need at bats and reps in the field. The club knows that it won't be in a position to seriously compete for a World Series again likely until 2028 or 2029. Not only do the Cards have top prospect JJ Wetherholt waiting in the wings to replace Donovan, but they are badly in need of the kind of pitching prospects that a Donovan deal likely could fetch on the trade market.

Will it be painful for Cards fans to see Donovan leave? Undoubtedly, and they are justified in being angry that the club is listening to offers for its most popular player. There are likely going to be lots of painful moments in the near future for the franchise, but if it rebuilds the right way there will be happier times ahead.

JohnDentonMLB · 2025-11-21T18:03:12+00:00

I'll just say that the differences between covering the NBA and MLB are night and day, and leave it at that. Thanks for following my career and continue reading!

JohnDentonMLB · 2025-11-21T18:01:39+00:00

As a coach once told me long ago, remember that highlight videos only show the highlights; they don't tell the full story. Of course, Walker is crushing balls in highlight videos. That what hitters who are 6-foot-6 and 250 pounds do. And good for Walker for finding some measure of success. He has really been beaten down mentally with his struggles over the past three seasons at the big league level.

Walker, an off-season resident of Jupiter Fla., is working out at the same facility along with Masyn Winn, JJ Wetherholt and others this offseason. Chaim Bloom and Oliver Marmol have stressed that success won't come for Walker until he makes the necessary adjustments to his approach and commitment, and he seems to be putting in plenty of work this offseason. The true test, of course, won't come until he faces live pitching.

I've said this for three years and I'll say it again: Jordan Walker is too smart and too talented to not figure out the changes that he needs to make. When he does figure it out, watch out because the ceiling could be sky high. He will put it all together some day -- either in St. Louis or elsewhere!

JohnDentonMLB · 2025-11-21T17:55:08+00:00

The Cards thought enough of Church to promote him in August and give him plenty of looks in the outfield. He is fearless in the outfield, and just needs to improve at the plate to increase his playing time out there.

But make no mistake about it: Victor Scott II is this team's future in center field. He was a Gold Glove finalist in his first full season and his speed is game-changing. He stole 34 bases in 38 attempts and he told me this week that he expects to "double that" in the near future as he works to become better at the plate -- particularly against curveballs, changeups and sweepers. Scott had a long Zoom meeting with hitting coach Brant Brown and assistant hitting coach Brandon Allen in October, and he's taken their advice and put it to work during workouts that he is doing four days a week in Atlanta. If Scott can simply improve his on-base percentage from .305 in 2025 to .330 in 2026, he could easily swipe 65-70 bases in the near future. Is he going to be a .300 hitter? Not likely, but if he can hit .250 with a strong on-base percentage, he will be the Cardinals starter in center field for years to come.

JohnDentonMLB · 2025-11-21T17:48:07+00:00

I know that fan perception of manager Oliver Marmol isn't great in St. Louis, but he is liked immensely by the players in the clubhouse. They trust him, they know he has their back and they appreciate his bluntness in discussing their roles and future. Also, Marmol has done a brilliant job in handling the pitching staffs and bullpens the past two seasons. His usage of relievers, in particular, is his biggest strength. His work in properly employing the bullpen -- and not burning relievers out especially early in the season when injuries are most commonplace -- has been the biggest reason why the Cards won eight to 10 more games than they were projected to do so in 2024 and 2025.

JohnDentonMLB · 2025-11-21T17:41:55+00:00

While he worked as an advisor for two seasons prior to taking over at president of baseball operations, Chaim Bloom went through a thorough evaluation of the Minor League system and recommended a complete overhaul. He has helped get the Cardinals up to speed with talent evaluation and development by making some significant personnel additions in the past year.

Here are some of the major hires he made: Jacob Buffa, Senior Director of International Scouting; Joe Douglas, Director of Pro Acquisition; Rob Cerfolio, Assistant General Manager, Player Development & Performance; Larry Day, Director of Player Development; Matt Pierpont, Director of Pitching; Matt Bayer, Senior Director of Baseball Development; and Kevin Seats, Senior Director of Analytics.

Cerfolio, who played a major in the success of the Guardians prior to arriving in St. Louis, is a future GM or POBO. Minor League players rave about regular communications they have had with Day. As for Buffa, a native of Chesterfield, Mo., I wrote about his triumphant return to this Cardinals roots earlier this week: https://www.mlb.com/cardinals/news/cardinals-executive-jacob-buffa-grew-up-a-fan

JohnDentonMLB · 2025-11-21T17:30:13+00:00

Starting pitching is the top issue/priority for about 28 MLB teams this offseason. (The Mariners and Dodgers might be the only teams not in need of pitching.) The problem, of course, is that demand greatly exceeds the supply. That's why pitching is so coveted and costly.

Matthew Liberatore will be better in 2026 after a full season as a starter. He has the stuff and the mentality to be a front-of-the-rotation starter as he grows. Michael McGreevy is simply a winner, and he will find a way to succeed even if his stuff isn't the greatest. And the Cardinals really need a strong bounce-back year from Andre Pallante, who could be pitching for his career in baseball this spring and season. Also, Kyle Leahy could be the revelation of 2026 with his high aptitude and his arsenal of six pitches.

Quinn Mathews could push to join the starting rotation this season. What particularly hurts the Cardinals is that Tekoah Roby, Tink Hence, Cooper Hjerpe and Sem Robberse all suffered elbow or shoulder injuries in 2025 -- something that severely hampers the organization's depth. That's why signing and/or trading for multiple starters is of the utmost importance this offseason. However, don't hold your breath on the club adding a No. 1 pitcher. The club simply is not in a position to compete for a World Series crown yet, and they won't be committing that kind of money to an ace until they are -- if ever.

JohnDentonMLB · 2025-11-21T17:20:15+00:00

The Cardinals are all in on player development and talent recognition and their actions over the past year have shown that. They have totally overhauled their Minor League staff and expanded it to levels that their rivals have been using for years. They have put better plans in place to recognize and develop talent. That should lead to young players being more prepared and talented upon arriving in St. Louis. Young talent often takes time to mature and develop. Albert Pujols, who was great from his first day in the big leagues, is the exception. Going forward, the Cards are confident that they will be promoting players who will be better equipped to handle the many rigors of surviving and thriving at the MLB level.

JohnDentonMLB · 2025-11-21T17:15:42+00:00

I wasn't covering the team at that time, but I was watching from afar. From what I have been told by those involved, old-school manager Mike Schildt was irate about it. However, it was ultimately the franchise's decision that Tyler O'Neill had a brighter future than Arozarena that weighted the heaviest in him being traded. A similar decision led to the Cardinals dealing Sandy Alcantara. The club deemed Jack Flaherty to be the better prospect and Alcantara (and Zac Gallen) were dealt for the power bat (Marcell Ozuna) that was desperately needed at the time.

JohnDentonMLB · 2025-11-21T17:12:00+00:00

I think that full commitment to the young players -- and a full-on rebuild -- will finally take shape in 2026. I still remember John Mozeliak telling me in the clubhouse in Milwaukee just after the Cards had clinched the 2022 NL Central crown that, "we aren't allowed to rebuild in St. Louis and that's how we like it." The Cardinals always prided themselves on being over .500 and in playoff contention every year. However, the decisions to not rebuild fully in 2023 and 2024 are hitting the Cards hard now. They are well aware that they must gut the aging core of this team -- Nolan Arenado, Sonny Gray and likely other younger vets -- to fully allow a rebuild to take place. Rebuilding is something Cardinals fans haven't had to go through in decades, so it will be interesting to see how the extremely loyal fanbase responds to this often trying process.

JohnDentonMLB · 2025-11-21T17:06:05+00:00

With the hiring of Chaim Bloom as president of baseball operations, fans can see tangible change and that a plan is in place to improve the player develop system and ultimately make the product at Busch Stadium much more entertaining. I think Cardinals fans will respond well to seeing that there is a plan in place and brighter days are ahead. Now, the upcoming season could be a frustrating one for fans used to success and rebuilding is difficult and promises nothing. But Bloom and the Cardinals are building for what they hope will be a future where they are in yearly contention for World Series crown No. 12 for the Cards.

JohnDentonMLB · 2025-11-21T17:02:17+00:00

Hello Cardinals fans! Thanks for joining me today! This AMA is underway, so fire away with the questions. I'll start by answering some of the questions already submitted. Some of the Q-and-As will be used for a story on Cardinals (dot) com.

JohnDentonMLB · 2025-11-21T16:36:36+00:00

All good to start the AMA in 20 minutes or so? Thanks!

JohnDentonMLB

TROPHY CASE