‘What does the team need?’ Matz helping keep Cards' staff afloat

This story was excerpted from John Denton’s Cardinals Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

ST. LOUIS -- Nolan Arenado has mostly returned to his All-Star form this season, winning games with both his bat and his glove. Then, there’s Lars Nootbaar, who is in something of a breakout season by getting on base more than teammate Brendan Donovan, who has been the Cardinals’ steadiest offensive player by entering Saturday ranking in MLB’s top five in hits.

On the pitching side, Matthew Liberatore has blossomed into the starting pitcher the Cardinals always thought he could be, while Kyle Leahy has been the feel-good revelation out of the bullpen with several clutch performances in big spots.

However, if one were to rank St. Louis' most valuable players from the first six weeks of the 2025 season, it might take you to the unlikeliest spot.

Steven Matz, the pitcher signed to a four-year, $44 million free-agent contract before the 2022 season and the one who struggled with injuries and consistency over the past three years, has become a pillar of dependability thus far for the Cards.

Need a reliever when Liberatore was moved into the starting rotation? Matz is 1-0 with a 1.80 ERA and one save over seven appearances out of the bullpen. Need a starter when the club wants to use a six-man rotation to try to keep all its arms healthy during stretches with limited off-days? In those instances, Matz is 1-0 with a 1.00 ERA and an 11-to-zero strikeout-to-walk ratio over two starts.

“He’s been awesome because he’s served in a couple of capacities for us,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. “He’s given us length out of the ‘pen when needed and thrown multiples [innings]. He has thrown that leverage-lefty lane. He has started games and has given us the most efficient and effective versions of that with only 65 to 70 pitches to work with.

“He’s done it all with the attitude of, ‘What does the team need?’ That’s been the most impressive part. So he has added a ton of value. When you think about us asking, ‘Can we get through April healthy?’ The main reason we were able to do that was Matz.”

Matz, 33, has done all that even though he will be a free agent at season’s end and, ideally, he would remain in one role where he could pile up wins to garner another contract. Take, for example, Wednesday’s win over the Reds, when Matz started and pitched four scoreless innings and was in line for the win. However, he was lifted before qualifying for the victory because he was on a pitch count after working in relief four days earlier.

When informed that Marmol had lauded his professionalism, Matz said, “That means a lot to me. That was kind of my mindset coming into this season -- whatever they want me to do, I’m going to do it. To have that validation from him, that’s really good to hear.”

Brought to St. Louis to balance out a right-handed-heavy rotation, Matz appeared in just 52 games and made only 34 starts and had a 10-12 record over his first three seasons with the Cards. Shoulder, knee, lat and back issues kept him sidelined more than he was active.

Those frustrations played a major role in Matz’s decision to savor this season regardless of what happens. He pitched well in Spring Training, going 2-0 with a 2.29 ERA over five starts, but he was switched into a role of bouncing between the bullpen and the starting staff just days before the club headed north to start the season.

No big deal, said Matz, who pitched in both roles in 2022, ’23 and ’24 because of injuries. By selflessly agreeing to that role, Matz also allowed the Cards to transition the rapidly blossoming Liberatore back to a starting role.

“My main emphasis was to enjoy this year and enjoy my teammates,” Matz said. “[Liberatore is] a young and really good pitcher, and I want to see him have success. That only helps what we have going here.”

Undoubtedly, the Cardinals aren’t the only team that has seen the value Matz has brought, and others could try to pry him away before the Trade Deadline. Regardless of what happens in August or in free agency, Matz knows now that he wants to keep pitching beyond 2025.

“I haven’t put too much thought into [the future], but coming into this year, I had the realization that this is the last year on my contract, and I knew it could go either way,” said Matz, who welcomed the birth of his second child last offseason. “I haven’t put too much thought into how far I want to go, but as long as I’m healthy and getting outs, I want to keep going.”