Cardinals Look to Rebuild Rotation with Dustin May Signing Amid Cost-Cutting Moves
The St. Louis Cardinals are reshaping their roster heading into 2026, and the message is clear: this is a team in transition. After a disappointing 78-84 finish in 2025, good for fourth place in the National League Central, the Cardinals are shedding salary and recalibrating their pitching staff.
The first major move came when they dealt veteran right-hander Sonny Gray to the Boston Red Sox, a trade that opened up payroll space but also created a noticeable void in the rotation. Now, the Cardinals are turning to a high-upside arm in Dustin May to help stabilize a staff that’s suddenly light on experience.
May, entering his age-28 season, is finalizing a deal with St. Louis pending a physical.
It’s a calculated gamble-one that could pay off big if May returns to form. After missing the entire 2024 season due to both an arm injury and a torn esophagus, May returned to the mound in 2025, splitting time between the Dodgers and Red Sox.
He posted a 7-11 record with a 4.96 ERA, but there were encouraging signs beneath the surface. He logged career highs in both innings pitched (132.1) and strikeouts (123), showing flashes of the electric stuff that once made him a key piece of the Dodgers' rotation.
A Veteran Presence in a Youthful Staff
With Gray gone, the Cardinals’ rotation became one of the youngest in the majors. Right-hander Kyle Leahy, also 28, is now the oldest member of the group.
But while May is the same age, he brings something this staff badly needs: big-league experience. Across six seasons, May has weathered the ups and downs that come with pitching at the highest level, and that experience could prove invaluable to a rotation still finding its identity.
The Cardinals aren’t necessarily expecting May to be an ace-but they don’t need him to be. What they’re betting on is his ceiling.
When healthy, May has shown the ability to pitch like a low-end No. 2 starter, with three seasons sporting ERAs in the 2.00s. That’s not easy to find, especially in a pitching market where arms are commanding premium prices.
If May can stay on the field and tap back into that form, this signing could turn into one of the offseason’s sneakier value plays.
Flexibility and Upside
There’s also versatility in play here. While the Cardinals are likely eyeing May as a rotation piece, he has the kind of high-octane arsenal-mid-to-upper 90s fastball, sharp breaking stuff-that could translate well to a high-leverage bullpen role if needed. That kind of flexibility is a luxury for any team, especially one navigating a roster reset.
And make no mistake, that’s exactly what St. Louis is doing.
The front office is clearly working to trim payroll, with speculation swirling around the future of third baseman Nolan Arenado, who still has $31 million left on his deal. Gray’s departure was the first domino.
May’s arrival could be the start of a new phase.
A Calculated Roll of the Dice
For the Cardinals, this is a classic buy-low opportunity on a pitcher with real upside. May’s 2025 numbers might not jump off the page, but considering the context-returning from two major health setbacks and adjusting to new environments-it’s not hard to see why St. Louis is intrigued.
If he stays healthy and performs anywhere near his peak, the Cardinals could either solidify a key rotation spot or flip him at the deadline for more assets. Either way, it’s a smart move for a team that’s clearly thinking long-term while still trying to remain competitive in the short term.
The road back to contention might not be a straight line for the Cardinals, but adding a high-upside arm like Dustin May is the kind of move that could quietly push them in the right direction.