St. Louis Cardinals have sparked fresh offseason momentum by reaching an agreement with right-handed pitcher Dustin May, a move aimed at stabilizing and elevating a rotation built around youth and upside.
While the club has yet to officially confirm the signing, the deal reflects a clear intent: pair high-ceiling talent with experience as St. Louis reshapes its pitching identity ahead of the 2026 campaign.
Cardinals add proven upside to young rotation
At 28, May brings both intrigue and risk—an imposing 6-foot-6 frame, elite movement metrics, and a track record that once pointed toward stardom. Last season, split between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox, May went 7–11 with a 4.96 ERA across 25 appearances (23 starts).
Despite late-season forearm soreness after a deadline move to Boston, he posted a career-high 132 1/3 innings and struck out 123 hitters, underscoring his durability rebound after a lost year.
St. Louis Cardinals are expected to slot May into a rotation mix that includes Matthew Liberatore, Michael McGreevy, Andre Pallante, Kyle Leahy, and Richard Fitts. With the roster currently at 40 players, St. Louis will need to make a corresponding move once the signing becomes official.
A winding road back to the mound
May’s journey back to relevance has been anything but linear. After debuting in 2019 as one of baseball’s most heralded young arms, his ascent was derailed by significant injuries. He missed the 2024 season entirely, and at one point endured a 648-day gap between competitive appearances.
During that span, May underwent flexor tendon surgery—his second major elbow procedure—and an emergency operation to repair an esophageal tear.
When he returned last April, it marked a pivotal step in reclaiming his career. The innings jump last season was the most encouraging sign yet that May can shoulder a starter’s workload again.
Why May fits St. Louis Cardinals’ vision
If health cooperates, the upside is evident. May’s pitch mix is built to disrupt hitters. His sweeper features exceptional side-to-side movement, averaging 16.9 inches of horizontal break, while his sinker mirrors it with 18.9 inches in the opposite direction.
Thrown from a low arm slot, the combination creates deception few pitchers can replicate. Add a four-seam fastball and cutter, and May offers a modern, three-fastball approach designed to keep lineups guessing.
Before Tommy John surgery in 2021, May owned a 2.93 ERA through his first 31 career appearances and played a key role in the Dodgers’ 2020 World Series run. St. Louis Cardinals are betting that version of May isn’t gone—just delayed.