Dustin May ‘Going to Be Gone’ at Deadline, Says Ex-Cardinals All-Star

The St. Louis Cardinals' rotation arguably is going to be a strength in 2026, whether the team rolls with a six-man rotation or not early on.

The Cardinals are entering the 2026 season coming off three straight seasons that didn't live up to expectations. Arguably, the biggest reason why was the starting pitching. There were positives, of course, like Sonny Gray. But the Cardinals really have struggled from a pitching perspective. With the 2026 season approaching, it should be a strength for the club. Michael McGreevy and Matthew Liberatore have another year under their belt.

Dustin May was signed in free agency and has looked like his old self, which is a guy who can be plugged in near the top of the rotation. Andre Pallante has looked better in camp than he did last season. Richard Fitts has some of the best pure stuff on the team and should give St. Louis a lift. Kyle Leahy had a successful 2025 season out of the rotation and can help this team, even if that's in the rotation.

The Cardinals' rotation will be interesting

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

On Monday, former Cardinals All-Star Lance Lynn opened up about the rotation and made the case for a six-man rotation, at least early, to keep everyone fresh. In the process, he also said that he thinks May eventually will be traded.

"So, everybody is on a touch of an innings limit, in my opinion," Lynn said. "There's no one guy who can chop up for 170-plus innings. So, how are you going to get through the year? My thought is at the beginning of the year, the best thing to do so guys are there there at the end of the year, which we all know we have to learn how to get through September, so if you shut someone down before September, it's really not helping them for the future. How can we modify innings and figure out how to get through the season? ...

"I always go on the side of go [with a six-man rotation], skip starts, do that stuff early in the year. Or, if you have a six-man rotation where [Richard Fitts] and [Kyle Leahy] are piggybacking a day where it's both going [four innings], something like that. ... Here's the truth of the matter, May's going to be gone at the trade deadline if he's doing anything that he's supposed to be doing. That's kind of the thought of signing him.

"[Dustin] May's gonna be gone at the trade deadline if he's doing anything that he's supposed to be doing."

Lance Lynn makes the case for a six-man rotation for the Cardinals this year. pic.twitter.com/m7F32eBbh8
— Cardinal Territory (@CardTerritory) March 16, 2026

May has specifically said that he doesn't want to talk about the trade deadline right now.

“I didn’t sign here going, ‘Oh, I can’t wait for the trade deadline,’” May said. “I want to be here. I would love to finish the year here. I’m intrigued by how everything meshes.”

But it's hard not to see the vision. May signed a one-year deal with St. Louis with a mutual option for the 2027 season. He's a 28-year-old flamethrower who has shown throughout his career that he can be an elite pitcher in this league when healthy. He has just hasn't been able to stay healthy. But right now he is and has looked good in camp. If the Cardinals can find a way to keep him fully healthy through the summer, he could realistically be among the best trade chips out there.

The Boston Red Sox acquired May last summer from the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for Los Angeles' now-No. 11 prospect, James Tibbs III, and now-No. 18 prospect, Zach Ehrhard. At the time, May had a 4.85 ERA in 19 total appearances. Imagine what the Cardinals could get from him if he looks like his old self in the regular season?