Cardinals Hit Home Run With $12.5 Million Dustin May Deal

The St. Louis Cardinals needed more pitching after the 2025 Major League Baseball season wrapped up and Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom did a good job bringing arms to town.

The story of the offseason surely was the trades made by the organization. St. Louis traded Nolan Arenado, Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras and Brendan Donovan away. St. Louis added a handful of prospects in those deals, including No. 5 prospect Jurrangelo Cijntje, No. 9 prospect Brandon Clarke, and No. 13 prospect Yhoiker Fajardo, specifically on the pitching side.

That's not all, though. St. Louis also utilized free agency to bring in 28-year-old flamethrower Dustin May. The righty is coming off a season in which he logged a 4.96 ERA in 132 1/3 innings pitched across 25 total appearances with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox. The ERA doesn't look great, but this was his big return after missing the entire 2024 season and making just 20 appearances between the 2021 and 2023 seasons. He's another year removed from his injury and looked better in Spring Training than he did for the vast majority of the 2025 season. May's fastball was electric throughout camp as it consistently approached 100 miles per hour.

The Cardinals brought in Dustin May this past offseason

Feb 14, 2026; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Dustin May (3) arrives for a workout during spring training at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

He's young and has elite stuff when healthy. Fortunately for St. Louis, he is healthy right now. The Cardinals signed him to a one-year, $12.5 million deal with a mutual option for the 2027 season. If he's able to really return to form, this deal is going to be a steal. The perception of the deal around the league is very positive as well. FanSided's Robert Murray shared a list of predictions for the 2026 season and predicted that May will be the "best value add" from free agency of the offseason.

"The best value add of free agency will be Dustin May," Murray wrote. "When the Cardinals signed Dustin May off the scrapheap in free agency, I liked the fit. I thought it was a good opportunity for the right-hander. Then I saw the terms — a one-year contract worth $12.5 million — and thought, 'The Cardinals clearly believe in him.'

"There were many teams interested in May this winter, but Chaim Bloom and St. Louis identified him as a prime target and landed him. He’s impressed the organization in spring; he’s up to roughly 215 pounds after playing under 200 last season following an esophageal tear in early 2024. He’s recorded a 1.35 ERA in two spring appearances. At only 28 years old, May is a name to watch; it wasn't too long ago that he was viewed as a bright young talent."

If May can stay healthy in 2026, it changes the perception of the starting rotation in general. Matthew Liberatore and Michael McGreevy have another year under their belt. May has top-of-the-rotation stuff. Andre Pallante and Kyle Leahy have question marks around them, but upside as well. If May is a top-of-the-rotation arm then the rotation quickly goes from being average to below-average, to an above-average rotation across the league.