Next Steps For Cardinals After Reported Dustin May Splash

The St. Louis Cardinals clearly aren’t messing around this offseason in Chaim Bloom’s first winter leading the organization.

St. Louis has publicly spoken about trading veterans away and has already done so by flipping Sonny Gray in a deal with the Boston Sox for Richard Fitts and Brandon Clarke. Bloom said he wants pitching and already has reportedly agreed to a deal with veteran starter Dustin May.

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The righty is someone who, if healthy, has shown he can be a starter near the top of a starting rotation. Health is the question, though. If May can build off his 2025 season and stay healthy, there's a chance he could be big get for St. Louis.

What do the Cardinals have next?

Aug 18, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Dustin May (85) delivers a pitch during the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images | Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images

St. Louis has gotten off to arguably a great start to the offseason. The Gray trade brought two hurlers with upside to town and now May is someone who immediately solves a need as a veteran starter. But, what should the team do next?

Find a way to keep Dustin May Healthy

He's just 28 years old and has had success in the big leagues, but injuries have slowed down his momentum in the league. From 2019 through 2023, May had a 3.10 ERA in 46 total appearances, including 34 starts with the Los Angeles Dodgers. In 2020, he logged a 2.57 ERA in 12 total appearances, including 10 starts. He followed up with a 2.74 ERA in five outings. In 2022, he had a 4.50 ERA in six outings. Then, he had a 2.63 ERA in nine appearances in 2023. May missed the 2024 season and responded with a 4.96 ERA in a career high 25 outings in 2025.

If he can stay healthy, May is someone who can help the Cardinals win games and also potentially turn into a phenomenal trade deadline trade chip. His health will completely determine this.

Trade Nolan Arenado/Brendan Donovan

Donovan is the hottest name on the market. The Athletic's Katie Woo reported that the San Francisco Giants and Seattle Mariners are viewed as the front-runners for Donovan. Woo noted that pitching is something that the Cardinals are looking for. If St. Louis can flip Donovan for one or two elite pitching prospects, or maybe even a cost-controlled big league starter, that would be another way to give this rotation a facelift, especially without a ton coming from the minors right away.

Arenado has been in trade rumors for a year at this point, and it would make sense to get any deal done that lowers his cost and opens a spot for a younger guy.

Sign a reliever

The Cardinals traded Ryan Helsley, Phil Maton, and Steven Matz ahead of the trade deadline. This offseason, rumors have swirled about JoJo Romero. Even if the Cardinals don't trade a reliever away this winter, more depth is a necessity.

More MLB: Cardinals On $116M All-Star's No-Trade List (Report)