Cardinals' Potential Dustin May Trade Comes with Caveat

Here is what could hold up a potential Dustin May trade.

Jul 12, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Dustin May (3) throws against the Atlanta Braves during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The St. Louis Cardinals finished the first half with a 50-45 record and enter the second half just one game back of the third National League wild card spot. What they will do at the trade deadline is still undetermined.

They could potentially do some buying as long as it doesn't interfere with the long-term plans, but could also be leaning towards selling instead. If they do sell, they have a lot of trade chips, one of which is right-hander Dustin May.

May is on an expiring contract and could easily be traded, but Brandon Kiley of 101 ESPN believes that there could be a holdup in such a deal, and that there's a major caveat to a potential trade.

Is that value greater than the value of giving him the QO & either keeping him for ‘27 or getting the pick that comes back? This is what I struggle with on him. I’m just not sure that trade value is out there.

— Brandon Kiley (@BKSportsTalk) July 15, 2026

Dustin May might not have much trade value

Jul 2, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Dustin May (3) throws against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

May is on an expiring contract. He was signed to a one-year, $12.5 million deal in the offseason, and that contract includes a mutual option, though those are rarely exercised.

Rental pitching always comes in high demand at the trade deadline, but there is one problem here. May might not have the trade value that the Cardinals think he will. In 18 starts, the 28-year-old right-hander is 5-6 with a 4.55 ERA, and those stats, while not terrible, don't exactly warrant a huge return of top prospects.

The Cardinals could still get something decent for him, but it might not be what fans are hoping for. Fans will be hoping for a top prospect or two, but that likely isn't going to be the case given his stats for the season.

He is an obvious trade candidate, but if the Cardinals want to sell hard at the deadline and bring back better returns, then they will likely have to trade All-Star closer Riley O'Brien, who still has four years of club control remaining.

May likely isn't going to bring back anything substantial, even if the Cardinals do decide to sell at the deadline. Perhaps they could look into trading other players. Even Lars Nootbaar could be considered a trade chip.

But fans shouldn't be holding their breaths hoping for a big return if the Cardinals trade May. Trading him does make sense, but if the value isn't there, then there isn't much the Cardinals can do about it.

Teams will be interested, but to what degree is unclear at the moment, so it will be interesting to see if the Cardinals look into trading other pieces.