The Cardinals’ deadline selloff opened the door for Hunter Dobbins, and the young right-hander knows exactly what kind of opportunity he’s been handed.
St. Louis moved Dustin May to the Milwaukee Brewers as part of its trade-deadline pivot, and that deal immediately reshaped the back end of the rotation.
May had been one of the most dependable arms on the staff, logging 21 starts, a 4.38 ERA and 106 strikeouts before heading out the door. He also ranked second on the team in quality starts, which made his exit a meaningful one for a rotation that has been asked to keep absorbing change.
The Cardinals’ broader deadline approach matched the direction of their season. After a surprising 50-45 record at the All-Star break, St.
Louis stumbled hard, losing 13 of its last 19 games since the break. That slide made it clear the club was not in position to chase anything beyond a wild-card spot, so the front office leaned into the plan to rebuild and continued adding to the farm system.
Along with moving May and JoJo Romero to Milwaukee, the Cardinals later sent Lars Nootbaar to the Arizona Diamondbacks. They did bring in veteran lefty Caleb Ferguson from the Cincinnati Reds, but the deadline was mostly about cashing in and restocking.
Now Dobbins steps into the vacancy. The right-hander will join Matthew Liberatore, Michael McGreevy, Kyle Leahy and Andre Pallante in the Cardinals’ starting group.
It’s a big chance for a pitcher still trying to settle in at the major league level. Dobbins, 26, is in only his second big league season and has already hit some bumps.
Across eight appearances this year, including five starts, he has a 3.60 ERA, but he has also allowed three or more runs in half of those outings.
He’s not treating the opening as a guarantee. Dobbins said Tuesday, per MLB.com's Bill Ladson, “I’m a young guy.
I haven’t earned the right to stay up here,” Dobbins said on Tuesday, per MLB.com's Bill Ladson. “I just try to stay ready when they do call me.
I want to be available and want to perform for the guys here. I’m getting closer and closer with the guys in this locker room.
I’m looking to try to stay up here to keep rolling for these guys.
“It feels good. But at the end of the day, you have to go out there and perform.
If I get complacent and try to sit back and enjoy it, this game can turn on you quickly. Just go get better every day.
Treat every start like you are trying to earn your way to stay here.”
That’s the right approach for a pitcher whose role could have looked very different if May had stayed put. Instead, Dobbins gets a real runway now, and the rest of the season gives him a chance to turn a roster opening into something more permanent.
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