Cardinals' Dustin May Trade Continues to Look One-Sided

The Cardinals struck gold with this deal.

Sep 16, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Dustin May (21) throws in the outfield before the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The St. Louis Cardinals are almost through the first year of their rebuild under Chaim Bloom, and while their record may not be pretty, the organization has taken a lot of steps in the right direction. For the first time in years, the future truly is bright in St. Louis.

The most notable difference is in the farm system, which was further strengthened at the trade deadline. St. Louis moved right-hander Dustin May to the Milwaukee Brewers with hours to spare before the buzzer and brought back two exciting outfield prospects. But May's numbers in Milwaukee continue to show that the Cardinals may have gotten the better end of the deal.

Dustin May trade continues to work out for Cardinals

Jul 24, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Dustin May (3) throws against the Cincinnati Reds during the sixth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

In 29 starts this season, May is 7-9 with a 4.61 ERA. In eight starts since joining the Brewers, he has a 5.40 ERA. The Cardinals brought back top outfield prospects Alexander Frias and Josiah Ragsdale after also including JoJo Romero in the deal. They are ranked No. 5 and No. 12 in the Cardinals system, respectively.

Granted, they aren't major league ready yet, but they do seem to have bright futures, and St. Louis did a great job accumulating young talent at this year's trade deadline to set themselves up well for the future.

Yes, the Brewers are playoff bound and acquired May to help them make that push, but he hasn't been the factor that Milwaukee expected him to be. Meanwhile, the future is incredibly bright in St. Louis, and the farm system is now one of the best in Major League Baseball, so Chaim Bloom deserves a lot of credit for the work that he has done over the past year, and the move to trade May certainly helped make things better in the minor leagues for St. Louis.

The Brewers have already won the NL Central, but the Cardinals have a bright future ahead of them and could ultimately have a very good team in short order. The move helped the Brewers in the present, but it could have major implications for the Cardinals a few years down the road as they strengthen their farm system.

With the steps forward they took in 2026, perhaps the organization could find itself back in contention in a few short years. But right now, this trade is looking very one-sided in favor of St. Louis thanks to Bloom being able to grab some quality prospects.