Who will be in the St. Louis Cardinals' starting rotation when the 2027 season kicks off?

It's too early to know for sure, but the most likely options right now seem to be Michael McGreevy, Kyle Leahy and Andre Pallante. Beyond these three, the next most likely option arguably should be Quinn Mathews, who logged a 3.83 ERA in his first taste of big league action down the stretch in nine starts. Reports have already surfaced indicating that the club could be in the mix for a veteran starter this offseason as well.

Another young option is emerging as well: 25-year-old righty Tekoah Roby. The righty has shined in the Arizona Fall League and Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom told Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that Roby could "absolutely" be in play to help the 2027 rotation.

"We have to be mindful that his season ended a little bit later, and that he hasn’t had much workload,” Bloom said to Goold. “That is something that we will monitor in terms of ramp-up, in terms of what we ask of him. He’s one of many pieces in our puzzle, and he absolutely has a chance to impact us in 2027. I think if he had not gotten hurt, he would probably already be impacting us."

The Cardinals Have Another Hurler To Watch

Roby is going to be a very intriguing option to follow over the next few months, even if he doesn't make the Opening Day roster. Roby has made three starts in the Arizona Fall League and hasn't allowed a run in 9 1/3 innings pitched, along with a 13-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

The Cardinals have been very good over the last few years when it has come to keeping their starters healthy and monitoring innings. Roby didn't pitch throughout the 2026 season and made just 16 starts in 2025. If Roby pitches like he did in the Arizona Fall League in Spring Training, maybe he could put himself in a position to nab a rotation spot. If not, that doesn't mean that Cardinals fans won't see him in 2027. One route could be bringing in a veteran starter to nab a spot in the rotation and carry them until the trade deadline. Then, flip whoever is added and sub Roby into the rotation at that point, unless an injury pops up elsewhere beforehand. Then, the Cardinals will be able to work him up slowly and monitor his innings initially down in Triple-A.

Think of what the Cardinals did with Joshua Baez in 2026, for example. Shortly after Lars Nootbaar was traded, Baez was given his shot after the trade deadline. Mathews also got a legit shot after Dustin May was traded. The buzz is growing around Roby and that should excite Cardinals fans. Bloom wasn't shy with his praise for Roby. The fact that he's clearly excited about the 25-year-old should get the fanbase buzzing.