The St. Louis Cardinals had an uninspiring 1-4-2 week with just seven days remaining in Florida. Reliever Phil Maton was signed to bolster the bullpen. Our history feature revisits notable team events during this week in past years.
Cardinals sign free agent reliever Phil Maton
To the surprise of many, the St. Louis Cardinals finally added a free agent before the start of the regular season. On Thursday, the team announced the signing of free agent reliever Phil Maton to a one-year contract, for a reported $2 million.
Maton, 31, is from Chatham, IL and was a Cardinals fan growing up. Over his eight-year major league career, Maton has pitched for the Padres, Guardians, Astros, and most recently the Rays and the Mets in 2024. He has a career record of 19-15 and an ERA of 4.16. In 31 appearances for the Mets last season, he posted a 2.51 ERA in 28 2/3 innings pitched.
It is expected that Maton will be added to the bullpen as a setup man to replace Andrew Kittredge, whose option the Cardinals declined and who signed with the Orioles for the 2025 season. Kittredge will open the season on the injured list with a knee injury that will keep him out of commission for multiple months.
Maton is said to have jumped at the chance to join the favorite team of his childhood and he has family and friends who are Cardinals fans. Welcome to St. Louis, Phil Maton!
Spring game recaps
Monday, March 10, 2025 – Cardinals 0 at Mets 8
The Cardinals were shut out 8-0 by the Mets in Port St. Lucie on Monday evening. Sonny Gray started and once again did not pitch well. The right hander threw four innings, gave up four runs on six hits, including two home runs. He struck out four and walked one.
Ryan Fernandez, Matthew Liberatore, and Andre Granillo followed Gray on the mound. Fernandez and Liberatore each allowed two runs.
St. Louis’ offense managed only three hits for the game. Jose Barrero had the only extra base hit, a double. Luken Baker and Nolan Gorman singled.
Victor Scott II was picked off first base. Brendan Donovan threw out Jesse Winker at the plate.
Tuesday, March 11, 2025 – Cardinals 5, Marlins 12
The Cardinals were clobbered by the Marlins by a 12-5 score at Roger Dean Stadium on Tuesday. Erick Fedde took the mound and pitched four innings, gave up six runs on seven hits, including three long balls. He walked one and did not strike out a batter.
After Fedde, from the pen came Ryan Helsley, Roddery Muñoz, Gordon Graceffo, Oddanier Mosqueda, and Nick Anderson. Muñoz and Graceffo each allowed two runs. Mosqueda surrendered one run.
The Marlins scored two runs in the second and one in the top of the third to take the lead. The Cardinals answered with a run in the home third on a sac fly by Lars Nootbaar following a walk to Jose Barrero and a Ryan Vilade single.
The Marlins piled on with three in the top of the fourth to lead 6-1. The Cardinals tightened the score in the home fourth on walks by Nolan Arenado and JJ Wetherholt, a wild pitch, and a two-run single by Barrero.
In the fifth, the Marlins added a run and the Cardinals matched them in the bottom of the frame for a 7-4 score. A Nootbaar walk and an RBI double by Iván Herrera delivered the lone run.
The Marlins continued to pump up the score with two runs in each of the sixth and seventh and one more in the top of the eighth. The Cardinals plated their fifth and final run in the bottom of the eighth when César Prieto doubled, Noah Mendlinger drew a walk, and Michael Helman drove in Prieto on a sac fly.
Barrero stole his second base of the spring. Herrera made a throwing error.
Wednesday, March 12, 2025 – Cardinals 0, Mets 2
The Cardinals lost to the Mets for the second time in the week but by a tighter score. Miles Mikolas was on the bump for St. Louis. The right hander pitched five innings, gave up one run on five hits, fanned three and walked one.
The relievers were John King, Tekoah Roby, and Michael Gomez. Gomez allowed a run.
St. Louis’ sputtering offense was held to two hits, a double by Pedro Pagés and a single from Victor Scott II.
Scott stole his fifth base of the spring. Brendan Donovan and Michael Helman each made fielding errors.
Thursday, March 13, 2025 – Cardinals 1 at Astros 1
The Cardinals played the Astros in Palm Beach on Thursday to a 1-1 tie. Steven Matz was the starter. The left hander threw 4 2/3 innings, gave up one run on two hits, struck out three and walked two.
Matz was followed by Ryan Loutos, JoJo Romero, Chris Roycroft, and Kyle Leahy.
Both teams scored their only run in the third inning. The Cardinals run came on an RBI triple by Lars Nootbaar.
St. Louis offense had only three total hits, but all went for extra bases. Iván Herrera also tripled, and Matt Koperniak popped a double.
Michael Siani stole his first spring base. Brendan Donovan had an outfield assist at third.
Friday, March 14, 2025 – Cardinals 3, Mets 3
The Cardinals played to a tie game for the second day in a row, this time against the Mets on Friday in Jupiter. Michael McGreevy started and pitched four innings, gave up one run on three hits and fanned four.
McGreevy was succeeded by Ryan Fernandez, John King, Riley O’Brien, and Roddery Muñoz. King and Muñoz each surrendered a run.
The Mets scored first with a run in the first inning. The Cardinals got on the board in the third on a two-run home run by minor league catcher Yohel Pozo.
St. Louis added a third run in the top of the sixth. Nolan Gorman doubled. Noah Mendlinger pinch ran for Gorman. Matt Koperniak drove in Mendlinger on a single.
The Mets came back to score their second run in the bottom of the sixth. They tied the game with a run in the eighth.
Victor Scott II was caught stealing for the second time this spring. José Fermín and Chance Sisco each made a throwing error.
Saturday, March 15, 2025 – Cardinals 9, Blue Jays 5
The Cardinals had not won since last Sunday, going 0-3-2 in the interim. The winless streak ended with a victory over the Blue Jays in Jupiter on Saturday. Starter Andre Pallante pitched five innings, gave up three runs, two earned, on six hits, fanned five and walked two.
Ryan Helsley, JoJo Romero, Chris Roycroft, and Nick Anderson followed Pallante. Anderson allowed two runs.
The Cardinals went up 2-0 in the first inning. Masyn Winn singled, Lars Nootbaar walked, and Nolan Arenado singled to plate Winn. Nootbaar came home on a single by Brendan Donovan.
The Blue Jays tied the game in the second. St. Louis added a run in the fourth on a home run by Alec Burleson.
Toronto tied the score again in the top of the fifth. The Cardinals regained the lead in the home half of the inning with two runs. Willson Contreras and Arenado singled. Jordan Walker drew a free pass. Alec Burleson plated Contreras and Arenado wth a single.
The Cardinals added two more runs in the sixth. Nootbaar thumped a solo home run. Contreras singled and left the game for pinch runner R.J. Yeager, who later crossed the plate on a single by Donovan.
St. Louis scored their final two runs in the eighth. Nathan Church walked and scored on a double by César Prieto. Prieto later came home on a double by Matt Koperniak.
The Blue Jays put up two runs in the ninth.
Sunday, March 16, 2025 – Cardinals 5 at Marlins 11
The Cardinals had their hats handed to them by the Marlins for the second time this week, as they were bulldozed to an 11-5 loss. Sonny Gray was bad for his third of three starts. The right hander, who is scheduled to pitch on Opening Day, collected just nine outs over five innings, which meant he came in and out of the game three times after leaving the first time in the middle of the second inning.
Over his time on the mound, Gray gave up eight runs on six hits, walked five and struck out five. He has surrendered six home runs in his three starts and has an ERA of 13.97. It’s spring training of course so it doesn’t count, and we all should be grateful for that.
Angel Cuenca, Dionys Rodriguez and Andre Granillo pitched in the parts of those five innings when Gray didn’t. Cuenca and Rodriguez both surrendered a run. Matthew Liberatore finished the game with three innings without having to be taken out and without giving up a run.
As for the offense, they scored five runs on 10 hits. Iván Herrera was 2-for-2 with an RBI. Michael Siani was also 2-for-2. Luken Baker hit a solo home run. Willson Contreras, Victor Scott and Thomas Saggese doubled.
The Cardinals scored two runs in the fourth. Lars Nootbaar walked, Contreras doubled and Brendan Donovan drove in Nootbaar on a ground out. Contreras cam home on a single by Herrera.
St. Louis added a run in the fifth on a Scott double, a Siani single, and a sac fly by Masyn Winn. The final two runs came late in the game in the eighth and ninth on the Baker home run and on a double by Saggese, who later scored on a wild pitch.
The Marlins put up 11 runs, eight on Gray and three on the bullpen.
Batting for a roster spot and the center field job, Scott and Siani did not look good as they were picked off back-to-back in the third by Marlins starter Cal Quantrill. To be fair, Quantrill has a good pickoff move.
The Big Picture
The Cardinals had a bad week finishing with one win, four losses, and two ties (1-4-2). Two of the losses were blowouts delivered by the Marlins. St. Louis’ record is 9-12-2, 13th of 15 Grapefruit League teams.
The offense wasn’t as good as last week to say the least. So far, the only players of the likely 26-man roster who have hit halfway decently all spring are Willson Contreras, Iván Herrera, and Lars Nootbaar. Victor Scott II has also hit well, but he is on the bump as far as making the team.
For the past week, the top performers by OPS from the likely 26-man roster are Herrera (1.431), Nootbaar (1.127) and Contreras (.872). Scott had an OPS of 1.038.
At the bottom are Masyn Winn (.130), Nolan Gorman (.467), and Alec Burleson (.466). Jordan Walker just returned from injury for the weekend, so his .333 OPS this week is disregarded. The other three have no such excuse.
Now for the pitching. Sonny Gray has been atrocious. All three of his starts were clunkers. He has a spring ERA of 13.97 and has given up six home runs. Andre Pallante has been a little shaky as well but not as bad as Gray and wasn’t particularly bad in his most recent start. Erick Fedde had a bad start this week. Steven Matz and Miles Mikolas were fine.
The relievers not sent to minors camp and are potential 26-man roster candidates have been mostly fine to very good. Ryan Fernandez had some hiccups over the last week. The team signed a new reliever, Phil Maton, who hasn’t pitched yet.
The final full week of spring begins Monday. The Cardinals will play the Nationals three times, the Marlins twice, and the Astros and Mets once each. After that, the team leaves Florida and plays the Memphis Redbirds in Memphis before returning to St. Louis to prepare for Opening Day.
News and Notes for Spring Training
In this space will be information on news and events of spring training that do not require extensive coverage. Check back each week to learn what is happening.
- Cardinals Hall of Fame balloting is underway – The annual voting for the Cardinals Hall of Fame is now underway, with four players on the ballot this year. They are Steve Carlton, George Hendrick, Brian Jordan, and Edgar Renteria. Voting ends on April 18.
The ballot can be found here.
Trade and Acquisition Rumors
There are no trade or acquisition rumors to report.
Transactions
- 3/12 The Cardinals optioned RHP Tekoah Roby to the Memphis Redbirds.
- 3/13 The Cardinals designated LHP Bailey Horn for assignment.
- 3/13 The Cardinals traded LHP Bailey Horn to the Detroit Tigers for cash.
- 3/13 The Cardinals optioned RHP Gordon Graceffo to the Memphis Redbirds.
- 3/13 The Cardinals optioned RHP Ryan Loutos to the Memphis Redbirds.
- 3/13 The Cardinals signed free agent RHP Phil Maton.
- 3/15 The Cardinals optioned RHP Riley O’Brien to the Memphis Redbirds.
- 3/15 The Cardinals optioned RHP Roddery Muñoz to the Memphis Redbirds.
- 3/16 The Cardinals optioned CF Michael Helman to the Memphis Redbirds.
- 3/16 The Cardinals optioned 2B Thomas Saggese to the Memphis Redbirds.
- 3/16 The Cardinals optioned LF Matt Koperniak to the Memphis Redbirds.
Spring Camp is now down to 31 players. Details at The Cardinal Nation’s Roster Matrix.
St. Louis Cardinals Organization Roster Matrix – 2025 Spring Training
Injury Report
- LHP Drew Rom was shut down from throwing after feeling soreness in his left shoulder after a bullpen session in spring camp. He had a PRP injection and is now in minor league camp rehabbing. Rom had season-ending shoulder surgery in 2024.
- LHP Zack Thompson suffered a tear in his left lat muscle. He is shut down for 3 to 4 weeks and will then be re-evaluated. Thompson will begin the season on the injured list.
Looking Ahead
The Grapefruit League begins its final full week on Monday. The Cardinals travel to Palm Beach to face the Nationals for the first game of the week.
St. Louis returns to Jupiter to play the Marlins on Tuesday. They remain in Jupiter to take on the Nationals again on Wednesday. The Cardinals have the day off on Thursday.
The Cardinals play the Astros in Jupiter on Friday to begin the weekend schedule. The Saturday game will be with the Marlins at Roger Dean.
The Cardinals end their Florida schedule on Sunday against the Nationals in Jupiter. On Monday, the Cardinal travel to Memphis to play an evening game with their triple-A affiliate Memphis Redbirds.
The 2025 Spring Training schedule can be found here.
After leaving Memphis, the Cardinals have two days of travel and preparation before the beginning of the regular season.
Opening Day for the Cardinals this year is at home against the Twins on March 27. The Cardinals play a four-game series that ends on Monday, March 31. Friday, March 28 is an off day in case there is a rain out on Thursday.
Blast from the Past
This week’s Blast from the Past will take a look at some notable events that occurred during the period from March 10 through March 16 in past seasons for the franchise.
The date of the event will be followed with a summary of what occurred and other details worth noting.
March 10, 1970 – The Cardinals installed Astroturf in Busch Stadium II.
March 10, 2005 – Cardinals’ former pitcher and top prospect Rick Ankiel makes his position player debut in an intrasquad game. He goes 1-for-2 with a single.
March 12, 1973 – Cardinals’ Hall of Famer Frankie Frisch passed away at the age of 75. Frisch played for the Cardinals from 1927-1937 and also managed from 1933-1938. Frisch was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1947 and was part of the 2014 inaugural class of the Cardinals Hall of Fame.
March 15, 1961 – Red Schoendienst re-signed with the Cardinals to finish his major league playing career as a pinch hitter. The future team Hall of Famer continued to play into the 1963 season, then became a coach for Johnny Keane after the Cardinals fired Solly Hemus.
March 15, 2011 – Former Cardinals’ shortstop and Manager Marty Marion passed away at the age of 93. Marion played for the Cardinals from 1940-1950 and managed the team in 1951. Marion joined the Cardinals Hall of Fame as part of the Inaugural class in 2014. Marion was a resident of St. Louis at the time of his death.
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