The Cardinals’ trade of Dustin May keeps tilting in St. Louis’ favor.
At the deadline, the club sent the right-hander to the Milwaukee Brewers with hours left before the buzzer and came away with two outfield prospects in Alexander Frias and Josiah Ragsdale, plus JoJo Romero in the deal. Frias and Ragsdale now sit No. 5 and No. 12 in the Cardinals’ system, and both are still a ways from the majors. Even so, the return has already helped deepen a farm system that has become one of the organization’s biggest strengths under Chaim Bloom.
May’s results in Milwaukee haven’t done much to change that view. He is 7-9 with a 4.61 ERA in 29 starts this season, and since landing with the Brewers he has posted a 5.40 ERA in eight starts. Milwaukee brought him in for a playoff push, but he hasn’t been the difference-maker the Brewers were hoping for.
That’s part of why the deal looks so lopsided right now. The Brewers are already headed to the postseason after winning the NL Central, while St.
Louis has spent the first year of its rebuild building for later. The Cardinals’ record still isn’t pretty, but the front office has taken real steps forward, and the minor league pipeline is a big reason why.
Bloom deserves plenty of credit for that. Over the past year, he has helped reshape the organization’s future, and the deadline haul only added to the momentum. The Cardinals may not be ready to turn the corner yet, but with the progress they made in 2026, the possibility of getting back into contention in a few years is starting to look real.
For now, though, this one belongs to St. Louis.
In Other News...
Cardinals Are Starting To Feel Better About That Brendan Donovan Trade
The early returns on the Brendan Donovan trade are starting to look better for the Cardinals, at least from the standpoint of what came back to St. Louis. In the three-team deal with Seattle, the Cardinals added Jurrangelo Cijntje, Tai Peete, Colton Ledbetter and two draft picks, and Peete in particular has given the organization a reason to feel encouraged with his recent work at Double-A Springfield.
Peetes strong stretch has been highlighted by a five-hit game in the Texas League Championship Series, the kind of performance that can quickly change how a trade is remembered around a front office. Donovan, meanwhile, has been limited to 39 games for the Mariners this season because of injuries, which only adds to the sense that the Cardinals may have found more long-term value than they first appeared to be giving up. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Enter Offseason With 3 Roster Calls That Could Get Ruthless
The Cardinals are finishing the 2026 season with a clearer sense of where the roster still falls short, even after signs of progress under president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom. The biggest needs remain easy to spot: the starting rotation, the bullpen and third base all look like areas that could get attention once the offseason begins, and that means some of the players currently in place may not be as safe as they once seemed.
Nolan Gorman, Jos Pags and Ryan Stanek are among the names being mentioned as possible departures as the front office weighs performance against long-term fit. For a club trying to move forward without getting stuck in the middle, those are the kinds of decisions that can turn an ordinary winter into a ruthless one, with Bloom forced to decide which pieces still belong in the next version of the Cardinals and which ones do not. [Read more 🡒]
Ivan Herrera's Cardinals Future Suddenly Looks Far Less Certain
Ivan Herrera entered the season with a chance to settle in as part of the Cardinals long-term catching picture, but the year has not exactly gone as planned. He has stayed healthy and continued to get regular playing time in St. Louis, yet the offense has slipped enough to make the situation feel less secure than it did a few months ago.
Leonardo Bernals arrival only adds to the pressure, especially after the rookie has flashed enough at the plate to make him look like a real candidate to take over behind the dish by 2027. Add in the progress of minor league prospects Rainiel Rodriguez and Jesus Baez, and Herreras path no longer looks as clear as it once did. The Cardinals still have time to sort it out, but the competition for catching roles is starting to look very real. [Read more 🡒]