Why Cardinals Should Target Buying Orioles for a Dustin May Trade

The St. Louis Cardinals have an intriguing trade candidate on their hands in Dustin May.

Jun 9, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Dustin May (3) delivers a pitch during the third inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals have played well above expectations this season, but it shouldn't change the club's strategy for the season ahead of the trade deadline unless they go on a long winning streak and are significantly above .500 before the trade deadline.

Right now, the Cardinals are four games above .500 at 42-38. That isn't enough to move the needle. The Cardinals have made it clear that they aren't going to be taking any "shortcuts" with this reset period under president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom. If the Cardinals end up dealing a few pieces away before the deadline, the guy who will be the most interesting is starter Dustin May.

When the Cardinals signed May this past offseason, chatter immediately picked up about how he could be a great deadline trade candidate. May is 28 years old and has front-of-the-rotation upside, but injuries derailed his career over the last few years. The Cardinals rolled the dice on him with a one-year, $12.5 million contract with a mutual option for the 2027 season. He's on the cheaper side for a solid pitcher and has been healthy this season, for the most part, and has looked great. Overall, May has a 4.30 ERA in 15 starts, which may not sound great. But 13 of his 40 earned runs allowed this season came from his first two starts of the season. He has been excellent overall since, despite allowing six runs in his last appearance on June 21.

The Cardinals Should Be Watching Baltimore Closely

Jun 21, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Dustin May (3) pitches during the first inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images | William Purnell-Imagn Images

Someone will be willing to pay for that and the Cardinals should be listening. One club they should be circling right now is the Baltimore Orioles. Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias has confirmed Baltimore will try to add ahead of the trade deadline.

“So, we’re going for it. I’ll let you know if that changes," Elias said, as transcribed by MLB.com's Jake Rill.

The Orioles have a pitching problem. They are 16th in the league with a 4.36 staff ERA. That's likely not going to cut it and help turn the 39-45 Orioles' season around. For St. Louis, the Orioles turning their season doesn't matter. What does matter, is that this is a club that could be desperate, has a good farm system, and needs pitching. Those are the variables that matter for St. Louis. The Cardinals need young, controllable pitching. Someone like Esteban Mejia (BAL's No. 6 prospect) or Boston Bateman (BAL's No. 9 prospect) would be worth a look, among others.

For the Cardinals, they should be surveying the market for any team looking for pitching. Baltimore fits that description.