The One Cardinals' Trade Chip Worth Keeping Beyond Deadline and Why

Here's why it might be worth it to keep Dustin May.

Jul 24, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Dustin May (3) throws against the Cincinnati Reds during the sixth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The St. Louis Cardinals are trending hard towards selling at the trade deadline. They have a few players on expiring contracts that could be moved to contending teams.

Their four main trade chips are pitchers Dustin May, JoJo Romero, Ryne Stanek, and Riley O'Brien, the latter of whom is under team control for three more years not counting 2026. It makes sense to move all four of these pitchers.

However, there might actually be a case to keep May around past the deadline, even though he might be the team's top trade chip with less than a week to go.

The case to keep Dustin May

Jul 18, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Dustin May (3) throws against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the first inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Firstly, May says he has enjoyed his time in St. Louis and wants to remain a Cardinal past the deadline. Of course, he doesn't have a no-trade clause to ensure that, but it's clear that he likes being a Cardinal and has embraced his role as the leader of the starting rotation.

While the Cardinals have a lot of young starters in their system and on the roster, it makes sense to have May stay and be a mentor for the young pitchers through the end of the season so they can be better prepared for 2027.

The starting rotation has been mostly good for St. Louis, but trading May would weaken it. Yes, the Cardinals are rebuilding and have some young options they can put in if May is moved, but Hunter Dobbins is already likely to take Matthew Liberatore's spot for the next turn in the rotation. May is at least a serviceable and proven arm that can cover innings and be a veteran presence.

It's also unclear what kind of return the Cardinals would get for May. If his value isn't all that high, then the Cardinals may not be able to get much for him, which in turn would make it better for them to keep the veteran right-hander.

Now, if they can really capitalize, that's one thing, but it's not like the Cardinals are going to get any top prospects for him at this point. Even though he pitched well in his last start, going six innings and allowing one run on seven hits, he is still 5-7 with a 4.59 ERA, so teams may not be willing to give up much for him.

The right-hander also has a mutual option for 2027. If both sides pick it up, that could fill a rotation spot for next season and allow the Cardinals to still have enough depth.