Cardinals Will 'Entertain' Offers for 7-Year Veteran Starter

The St. Louis Cardinals have 32 days left to decide what they are going to do before the 2026 Major League Baseball trade deadline.

The deadline is coming up quickly and the Cardinals currently find themselves at 44-39 and in third place in the National League Central standings, behind the Milwaukee Brewers and the Chicago Cubs. The Cardinals are 8 1/2 games behind the Brewers and three games behind the Cubs. The Cardinals have been dealing with some adversity lately and are 4-6 over their 10 games, including a 5-1 loss against the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday.

The 2026 season has been a fun one for the Cardinals, but this isn't the time for the club to have its biggest cold stretch of the season. While the first few months of the season were great, these next few weeks are what is going to decide whether the Cardinals sell pieces, stay put, or even try to add around the edges. The Cardinals currently would have a playoff spot, but things are very crowded in the National League and being just five games above .500 may not warrant adding. Between now and the deadline, the guys to watch will be Dustin May, JoJo Romero, Riley O'Brien, and Lars Nootbaar, among others. On Tuesday, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that the club is expected to at least "entertain" offers for May, at the very least.

The Cardinals Will Listen On Dustin May

Jun 15, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Dustin May (3) pitches against the San Diego Padres during the ninth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"By the end of this month, the Cardinals will entertain trade offers for the right-hander, who is on a one-year deal with a $20 million mutual option. Whether they trade him will depend on where the team is in the standings and the offers they receive, and both of those elements will hinge on his performance."

May has been talked about as a potential trade chip all season and this is more fuel for that fire. May has been everything the Cardinals could've hoped for this season so far. He has a 4.30 ERA in 15 starts and has been durable, for the most part. From April 10 through June 15, May logged a 2.54 ERA across 12 starts. He has been very good in 12 starts and not-so-good in three starts. Overall, he has given the Cardinals a chance to win pretty much each time he has taken the mound.

Still, the Cardinals are clearly being realistic. Despite the fact that they are a few games above .500, May isn't guaranteed to be in a Cardinals uniform next season with the mutual option. There's no reason for St. Louis not to canvas the league in that case and see what they could get in return for him.

Arguably, it's the right call. May has been great, there's no denying that. And that would help St. Louis even more if it could flip him for a few high-end prospects. The Cardinals have three options who could replace May in Hunter Dobbins, Quinn Mathews, or Brycen Mautz. If the Cardinals didn't try to shop him, it would be malpractice. May has been great in St. Louis and it would be good if the two sides came back together in free agency, but the Cardinals absolutely have to look around for a deal and it sounds like they will try.

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