Michael McGreevy May Help Ease Cardinals’ Trade Deadline Pains

DENVER — St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol spoke the franchise’s hopes into existence before Monday’s series opener at Coors Field against the Colorado Rockies.

Inserted into the rotation for what many outside the organization might have considered a spot start against the struggling Rockies, Marmol quickly doused those thoughts on Monday afternoon about what Michael McGreevy would bring to the mound in Colorado and perhaps beyond.

“I hope it’s not a spot start,” Marmol said. “My hope is that he can stay with us.”

McGreevy may have helped that hope become a greater reality moving forward, throwing seven innings and allowing just one earned run while earning the win in a 6-2 victory that snapped a three-game losing streak for the Cardinals.

The 25-year-old right-hander retired 11 consecutive batters at one point and induced nine groundouts, a key to success at Coors Field. He also didn’t allow an extra-base hit among the seven hits registered by Colorado.

Monday night’s performance pushes McGreevy to 28.1 innings in 2025 over five games (four starts). Overall, he has a 3.49 ERA which includes outings where he has given up five runs over 4.2 innings and four runs over 6.0 innings.

It’s been a hot-and-cold season from a statistical point of view, but McGreevy is passing the eye test for one of his teammates who has become one of his biggest supporters.

“I think he’s ready to stay here, straight up,” Willson Contreras said after the win on Monday night. “I think you don’t need to go down. That’s my take. And I’m going to say that he’s ready. He’s already shown a couple of times that every time he comes here, he’s coming to pitch.”

With the MLB trade deadline coming up on July 31, the Cardinals may trade from their rotation, depending on how the team is sitting in the standings as the deadline draws nearer. For McGreevy to find a consistent routine and to truly have a chance to show if he’s a part of the rotation this season and beyond, a spot has to open up in St. Louis.

The Path Forward for Michael McGreevy

If rumors are to be believed, starting pitcher Erick Fedde may be one of the Cardinals on his way out of the Gateway City. The 32-year-old right-hander is a free agent at the end of the season, lending credence to the belief that the Cardinals may deal him.

While that may be muddied by Fedde’s performance on Tuesday in Denver when he gave up six runs and seven hits in just three innings, if it happens, that opening may give the Cardinals exactly what they need for McGreevy and his development.

“I think there’s a lot of value in this next stretch for several reasons,” Marmol said. “For him to get a taste of being around Dusty [pitching coach Dusty Blake] and the pitching staff and game planning and big-league hitters. Just getting a taste for the ins and outs of that on a consistent basis.”

For McGreevy, it’s hard to plan ahead for what could happen at the MLB trade deadline.

“Being completely honest, whatever happens, happens,” McGreevy said on Monday night. “I understand how this business works. I’ll always be stoked beyond my mind to pitch in the big leagues. But if I get to stay for the rest of the year [with St. Louis], then great, and if I go down [to Triple-A] tomorrow, then oh well.”

The Cardinals got a taste of McGreevy last season, primarily from three September appearances where he posted a 2.25 ERA over 16.0 innings. That was enough for the preseason ZiPS projections to believe that McGreevy was in for a big season, projecting 1.8 fWAR, the second-highest of any St. Louis pitcher behind only Sonny Gray.

So far, St. Louis hasn’t needed him (or used him) as much as projected, with McGreevy chipping in just 0.7 fWAR so far through the Cardinals’ first 102 games.

However, that number could certainly rise if the Cardinals decide to sell from the rotation. If given the chance, McGreevy sounds confident in his ability to become a bigger part of the roster.

“You always have to view every opportunity like a test, and it’s a great opportunity to get better each time out,” McGreevy said on Monday.

“It’s a great time to prove that you’re a big-league pitcher. Whether you give up a five spot against the [Chicago] Cubs on one hand and that’s the only runs you give up and you’re able to just keep the game going to where we win the game. Or you just have games like last year in San Francisco where you’re just on from pitch one, it’s just doing your job in the moment. And whatever happens, just happens.”

McGreevy’s place in the Cardinals’ pitching plans will be known soon enough. However, he showed on Monday that he can potentially be an answer in the short and long term in St. Louis.