Priority contract extensions for the St. Louis Cardinals to consider immediately: Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3.
Baseball's Future Shining Stars: Are the Cardinals Ready to Secure Their Long-Term Fate?
The St. Louis Cardinals have been setting hearts ablaze with their remarkable 2025 campaign, leaving fans and pundits buzzing about the team's long-term prospects. Who should the Redbirds invest in for the future? Let's dive into the conversation surrounding the Cardinals' young core, and the competitive edge they hold.
First things first, building a successful dynasty involves prioritizing and making strategic decisions about who to retain long-term. Just because a player forms part of the core, doesn't automatically mean they deserve a long-term extension. Overextending annually could hinder the team's maneuverability in future seasons. That's why we've outlined three tiers of potential extension candidates, with the first two players being somewhat speculative, but could lead to significant savings if a deal is secured.
Tier #3 - The Evolution of Potential Superstars
Matthew Liberatore and Victor Scott II
Arguably, the two most exciting breakout players for the Cardinals in 2025 have been Matthew Liberatore and Victor Scott II, both of whom have solidified their place as key pieces in the team's future.
Both players entered the season with question marks for different reasons. Liberatore, in his fourth season, was finally looking like the potential difference-maker in the rotation many had envisioned. His pedigree as a first-round, top 50 prospect was starting to shine once again, despite being only 25 years old.
Even after a rocky start on the mound, Liberatore still has an impressive 3.08 ERA in his 11 starts this year, with 56 strikeouts in 64.1 innings pitched. If Liberatore maintains this kind of performance, locking him down for the long-haul would be a wise move for the Cardinals.
Scott, on the other hand, earned the starting center field job in a strong spring training, and has rewarded the team with a .262 batting average, a .337 on-base percentage, and .357 slugging percentage, to go along with 16 stolen bases entering Friday's game against the Rangers.
Determining Scott's long-term ceiling is tricky, but even if he settles as a supporting player, his defensive prowess, quickness on the basepaths, and expanding offensive skillset all make him a valuable asset to keep around for the long term.
Both players are somewhat risky as extension candidates. For Liberatore, the small sample size still exists, and if he regresses and can't be trust in the rotation long-term, then he could prove to be an overpaid reliever. Scott's development as a player could stall, in which case the Cardinals may lose the competitive advantage of having him on pre-arbitration and arbitration salaries.
Yet the payoff could be substantial as well. With pitching becoming increasingly expensive in today's game, getting someone like Liberatore extended early could save the Cardinals a substantial amount in future years. The same could be said for Scott, whose potential growth as a player makes him tough to keep around alongside the other core players the Cardinals should be thinking of extending.
Stay tuned for future articles where we delve deeper into other potential extension candidates for the Cardinals, revealing the risks, benefits, and the intricacies of the deals they might be considering.
The Cardinals have two potential superstars in Matthew Liberatore and Victor Scott II, who have shown phenomenal promise in the 2025 season, placing them as key figures in the team's future. While there is an element of risk associated with extending them due to their small sample sizes and uncertain long-term ceilings, securing long-term contracts with these players could lead to significant savings for the Cardinals, particularly considering the rising costs of pitching in today's MLB.
