The Cardinals’ deadline picture may not clear up quickly, and that matters for Dustin May.
St. Louis looks headed toward selling by Monday, with the club falling apart enough to make the direction pretty obvious.
May stands out as one of the cleaner trade chips on the roster, especially after he threw five scoreless innings against the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday night in what could wind up being his final start in a Cardinals uniform. He’s on an expiring deal, which only adds to the logic of moving him now.
But his market may be tied to a bigger name: Tarik Skubal.
According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Detroit Tigers still haven’t seriously engaged in trade talks for the two-time Cy Young winner. Rival executives with interest in Skubal say that is expected to change by Sunday, but as of Saturday morning, no offers had been exchanged.
If that market stays frozen, St. Louis may have to sit tight on May a little longer, because the availability of starters this summer appears linked.
That doesn’t mean the Cardinals would be stuck. If May stays put, they still have other pieces they can move, including Lars Nootbaar, Ryne Stanek, JoJo Romero and possibly Riley O'Brien. So a delay on May wouldn’t blow up Chaim Bloom’s deadline plans.
There’s also a case for keeping May, at least on paper. He has a mutual option for 2027 and has said he wants to remain a Cardinal if possible.
Still, St. Louis would probably prefer to cash in while his value is there.
He is 5-7 with a 4.38 ERA in 21 starts this season, with 106 strikeouts across 109 innings.
The Cardinals are somehow just three games out of the third wild card spot, but their July performance and the fact that they’re now below .500 with two months left make a move like this fit the moment. If Skubal’s market stalls, though, May’s could stall with it.
For now, the Cardinals may have to wait and see how quickly the pitching market starts moving.
In Other News...
Cardinals May Have Found The Deadline Partner Fans Were Waiting On
With the MLB trade deadline drawing closer, the Cardinals suddenly have a plausible match sitting across from them in the Phillies. Philadelphia is shopping for help in several areas, including an outfield bat, a starter and relief arms, and that kind of broad shopping list has a way of putting a team like St. Louis into the conversation if the fit is right.
Recent deals around the league have helped clarify the market, which makes a Cardinals-Phillies swap feel more realistic than it might have a few days ago. Nothing is done yet, but the overlap in needs is enough to keep this one on the radar as both clubs weigh whether the pieces they can move line up with what the other side is trying to add. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Are Tied To Four Deadline Names That Could Change Everything
The trade deadline always brings a little more noise than certainty, and the Cardinals are right in the middle of that familiar swirl. Four names have surfaced as possible fits if St. Louis decides to chase help with an eye on the future: Jackson Holliday, George Kirby, Marcelo Mayer and Reid Detmers. Each comes with a different profile, but the common thread is obvious enough for a club trying to balance present needs with long-term planning.
Holliday stands out as the sort of young talent that can reshape a roster timeline, while Kirby would almost certainly come with a steep acquisition cost if the Cardinals tried to make a serious run at him. Mayer and Detmers give the group more variety, and that is part of what makes this kind of deadline chatter so easy to follow and so hard to read. The Cardinals can dream on the upside, but as always with this time of year, getting from interest to actual movement is where the real uncertainty begins. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Just Made A Tough Call On A Fan Favorite Outfielder
The Cardinals spent the day reshaping their outfield picture with a move that signals both urgency and patience. Lars Nootbaar, long one of the more recognizable faces in the lineup, is on his way out after the club weighed his health concerns against the rise of younger outfield prospects in the organization.
In return, St. Louis added pitching depth, getting right-hander Daniel Eagen and left-handed reliever Sando Santana as part of a package that also includes a third player not yet reported. It is the kind of deal that can look sensible on paper for a team trying to balance present needs with future value, but the final shape of the return still has one more piece to come into focus. [Read more 🡒]