Dustin May Declares Free Agency Wishes After Brutal Red Sox Stint

The Boston Red Sox took a gamble with Dustin May at the trade deadline, and it quickly backfired.

May wound up making just six appearances in a Red Sox uniform, pitching to a 5.40 ERA and 1-4 record before winding up on the injured list for the final three weeks of the season. Worse still, his Los Angeles Dodgers team grabbed two outfield prospects that finished the season on a tear, then went on to win the World Series without missing May in the slightest.

It's time for all involved to turn the page, but although he'll get a World Series ring from the Dodgers, his third in the last six years, May was glad to get a shot to start with the Red Sox, even though it didn't work out the way he hoped.

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May talks Red Sox tenure, free agency

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

“It was definitely a huge letdown,” May said of his Red Sox stint Thursday, per Christopher Smith of MassLive. “But the guys were great to be around. I was super happy to be able to join that group. I didn’t really contribute the way that I felt like I could have, but it was a very, very fun group.”

May also was proud to be getting another ring, as he had the third-most regular-season innings of any Dodgers pitcher despite the trade. But it's time to focus on free agency now, and May knows his complicated injury history and rough season in LA and Boston will make it difficult for him to find a lucrative deal.

However, May expressed Thursday that he has rather straightforward hopes for his free agency this winter, seeking an opportunity to log innings.

“I just want to find a spot that’s going to treat me well and put the best foot forward and make me have the best season possible,” May said, per Smith. “So that’s kind of what we’re looking at right now is just who’s going to help the most.”

Finding a rotation spot with a team that doesn't necessarily project to contend for a World Series next season seems doable for May, though that likely means a one-year contract and the possibility of being flipped at the trade deadline once again.

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