Cardinals 'Hope' to Play the Market With Dustin May

The Cardinals have a lot of leverage with May.

Apr 21, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Dustin May (3) throws against the Miami during the first inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Rhona Wise-Imagn Images | Rhona Wise-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals snapped a four-game losing skid on Monday night with a dramatic come-from-behind win over the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. They improved to 15-13 and came to within three games of first place in the competitive National League Central.

Dustin May drew the start and went six innings while allowing just two runs. The late comeback took him off the hook for the loss. St. Louis signed him to a one-year, $12.5 million contract last offseason to bolster their rotation.

With the Cardinals rebuilding, it's likely that if May is pitching well, he will be on the trading block at the deadline. Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch notes in his latest Cardinals chat that this is still the hope.

"Their current hope is that he’s pitching so well that they can play the market and command a high price and bring more young talent into the system," Goold reported.

Cardinals hoping to trade Dustin May

Apr 15, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Dustin May (3) pitches against the Cleveland Guardians during the fourth inning at Busch Stadium. Players and coaches are wearing number 42 in recognition of Jackie Robinson Day. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

This is of course nothing new. With the Cardinals rebuilding, it is obvious that May was signed with the idea of being traded to a contender at the deadline. But the return ultimately depends on how he is pitching.

Often times, rental pitching can come at a high cost, which tends to favor the sellers in the market. That would seemingly benefit the Cardinals as they focus on the future.

They already loaded up on young pitching this past offseason, but it would be good for them to add more of it, and the best way for them to do that might be to trade May at the deadline.

So far, May is 3-2 with a 5.28 ERA in six starts and 30 2/3 innings pitched this season. The 28-year-old is the veteran of the Cardinals' rotation after the Sonny Gray trade, and it would make sense to cash in on him at the deadline if his value is high, though he does have a mutual option for 2027.

However, the Cardinals would have all the leverage here. His performance could drive his price up and put the Cardinals in a good position to potentially receive a haul for May at the deadline and set themselves up well for the future.

It should be interesting to see what kinds of offers the Cardinals can get for May at the deadline. Interest in him should be pretty high, especially given his contract status.