Cardinals Lucked Out with Dustin May to Brewers Trade

The Cardinals got lucky with this deal.

Aug 19, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Dustin May (21) pitches against the Seattle Mariners in the first inning at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The St. Louis Cardinals signed Dustin May to a one-year contract last offseason, hoping he could plug a hole in the rotation. For the most part, he fulfilled that role with St. Louis and was a reliable mid-rotation presence until the trade deadline.

On deadline day, St. Louis shipped him and JoJo Romero to the Milwaukee Brewers. The Cardinals are certainly missing that presence in their rotation, as they are now without Andre Pallante and Hunter Dobbins, and Dobbins will also likely miss most of 2027 after surgery.

Dayn Perry of CBS Sports listed several trade deadline successes and failures. The May trade was listed as a failure for Milwaukee.

"Acquired from the division-rival Cardinals at significant cost, May, a pending free agent, has not delivered so far as a Brewer," Perry wrote. "In five post-trade starts, May has put up an ERA of 6.41 in five trips to the mound since the trade, and he's averaged less than five innings per start over that span. The stuff and underlying fundamentals with the Cardinals were strong, so this is probably just the small sample size at work. As well, the Brewers are a pitching-forward organization – one of the best at such things. Thus far, though, May hasn't been the fortifying addition they hoped he'd be. "

Cardinals got lucky with Dustin May trade

Jul 29, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals outfield, baserunning, & quality control coach Jon Jay (19) fist bumps St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Dustin May (3) during a game against the Chicago Cubs in the fifth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Puetz-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

May is 6-9 this season with a 4.69 ERA in 26 starts and 128 2/3 innings pitched. The right-hander was a steady presence in the Cardinals' rotation, and while he wasn't exactly setting the world on fire, he certainly did what they needed him to do.

Since going to the Brewers, May hasn't been himself. Meanwhile, the Cardinals got two elite prospects back in outfielders Alexander Frias and Josiah Ragsdale, who have only strengthened the farm system and proven why Chaim Bloom's new approach is exactly what they needed.

So, the Cardinals actually took some big steps forward by making this deal. While they could use an extra starter with Dobbins and Pallante out, they were never going to be a true contender this year, so it ultimately made sense for them to make this trade.

And now, the farm system is much stronger, which means the future in St. Louis is much brighther than it has been in quite a long time, so there are a lot of reasons for fans to be excited, and the fact that they got such good prospects for May and Romero is a testament to how Bloom is running the organization.