Dustin May Trade Secured Roster Spot For Struggling Cardinals Pitcher

The St. Louis Cardinals stayed true to their plan to rebuild this season by further bolstering their farm system at the trade deadline.

The Cardinals got off to a red-hot start this season and surprised the whole league by heading into the All-Star break with a 50-45 record. Their recent rough patch, which included losing 13 of their last 19 games since the break, clearly showed that this team was not truly ready to compete for anything more than a wild-card playoff spot.

Luckily, St. Louis took the hint and elected to stick with plans to sell at the trade deadline. The Cardinals parted ways with pitchers Dustin May and JoJo Romero in a deal with the Milwaukee Brewers, and later traded veteran outfielder Lars Nootbaar to the Arizona Diamondbacks. St. Louis did make a trade with the Cincinnati Reds to acquire veteran pitcher Caleb Ferguson as well, but the team primarily cashed in by bolstering the farm system.

May was a consistent innings-eater for the Cardinals' starting rotation this season, making 21 starts and posting a 4.38 ERA with 106 strikeouts before being traded to the Brewers. The 28-year-old hurler also made the second-most quality starts by a pitcher for St. Louis this season. With May gone, right-handed pitcher Hunter Dobbins will fill the hole left behind in the Cardinals' starting rotation, joining Matthew Liberatore, Michael McGreevy, Kyle Leahy and Andre Pallante.

Dobbins will be featured in Cardinals' rotation

Aug 4, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Hunter Dobbins (40) delivers a pitch during the first inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Dobbins is only in his second season in the big leagues and has had his fair share of struggles early in his career. The 26-year-old boasts a 3.60 ERA for the Cardinals across eight appearances this season (five starts), but has allowed three or more runs in half of his appearances. Though Dobbins secured a starting spot after May was traded, the right-hander understands that he can't sit back and get complacent now.

“I’m a young guy. I haven’t earned the right to stay up here,” Dobbins said on Tuesday, per MLB.com's Bill Ladson. “I just try to stay ready when they do call me. I want to be available and want to perform for the guys here. I’m getting closer and closer with the guys in this locker room. I’m looking to try to stay up here to keep rolling for these guys.

“It feels good. But at the end of the day, you have to go out there and perform. If I get complacent and try to sit back and enjoy it, this game can turn on you quickly. Just go get better every day. Treat every start like you are trying to earn your way to stay here.”

Dobbins has a good mentality heading into the rest of the season. If the Cardinals didn't trade May at the deadline, his role with the team could have been completely different. Now, the sophomore hurler has the opportunity to prove himself down the stretch and solidify himself as a key piece of St. Louis' starting rotation.

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