Cardinals May Already Regret Unpopular $12.5 Million Offseason Deal

The St. Louis Cardinals entered a full-scale rebuild during the offseason by trading away four of their top players in exchange for prospects.

But they also signed veteran pitcher Dustin May to a deal despite looking to get younger at the big league level and throughout their entire organization. But May was only signed to a one-year deal, so the risk isn't too crazy for the Cardinals.

Dustin May is off to a bad start this season

Mar 29, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Dustin May (3) pitches against the Tampa Bay Rays during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

But the righty is off to a very bad start with his new team, which shouldn't come as a surprise, as he struggled much of last year, too.

Last year, May posted an ERA near 5.00 while losing 11 games and holding a -0.7 WAR. This season, he's already suffered two losses in three starts while his ERA is near 10.00 and his WAR is -0.7 again. May has gotten crushed this season, surrendering 21 hits and two home runs in 13 1/3 innings.

Bleacher Report's Tim Kelly recently suggested the Cardinals are going to regret giving May his $12.5 million deal during the offseason, and this poor play supports that suggestion.

Cardinals may already regret signing Dustin May

Apr 4, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Dustin May (3) pitches in the first inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

"It's not that there wasn't some logic in a rebuilding Cardinals team trying to catch lightning in a bottle with Dustin May on a one-year deal, but the most likely outcome is that Chaim Bloom and St. Louis don't ultimately get the best-case scenario," Kelly wrote. "In fact, May has never pitched more than the 132.1 innings he logged a year ago, so history tells us he's going to spend a significant chunk of time on the IL at some point.

"Perhaps even more problematic is that May just might not be good anymore. Since missing the entire 2024 season recovering from surgeries on his right flexor tendon and esophagus, May has a 5.54 ERA across 27 games, 25 of which have been starts. That includes his first two starts as a Cardinal, where he's given up 13 earned runs over just 7.1 innings."

This seemed like a low-risk addition for the Cardinals, but at this point, it seems like a waste of $12.5 million.

May is only signed to a one-year deal, so the only thing the Cardinals will lose with the signing is the money, but it doesn't seem like it has much upside unless he makes some drastic changes.

The deal was unpopular in the offseason. It's seemingly even more unpopular now.