The St. Louis Cardinals have made their first significant free-agent move of the offseason, signing right-handed pitcher Dustin May to a one-year, $12 million contract for the 2026 season. The deal includes a mutual option for 2027 worth $20 million, with a $500,000 buyout.
“It’s exciting to add someone with Dustin’s talent and upside to our rotation,” said Cardinals President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom. “He’s already experienced pitching in and winning the World Series, as well as persevering through difficult injuries to return to health on a big league mound. We are happy that he will write the next chapter of his career here in St. Louis.”
At 28 years old, May brings a mix of proven potential and rebound upside to a Cardinals rotation in transition. Nicknamed “Big Red” for his distinctive flowing red hair and imposing 6-foot-6, 180-pound frame, May posted career highs in 2025 across several categories, including wins (7), games pitched (25), starts (23), innings pitched (132.1), and strikeouts (123). He split the season between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox, finishing with a 7-11 record and 4.96 ERA after being traded to Boston on July 31.
May’s career stats stand at 19-20 with a 3.86 ERA and 1.20 WHIP over 71 games (57 starts). His journey has been marked by flashes of dominance interrupted by injuries. Drafted by the Dodgers in the third round out of Northwest High School in Justin, Texas, in 2016, May made his MLB debut in 2019 and quickly impressed. In the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, he went 3-1 with a 2.57 ERA, finishing fifth in NL Rookie of the Year voting, and contributed to the Dodgers’ World Series championship, appearing in relief during the Fall Classic against Tampa Bay.
From 2019 through early 2023, May compiled a strong 12-9 record with a 3.10 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in 46 games (34 starts). However, injuries—including multiple elbow issues and a rare esophageal tear—limited him severely, causing him to miss the remainder of 2023 and all of 2024. His 2025 campaign marked a full return to health, throwing a career-high workload despite elevated ERA numbers.
May’s arsenal features a high-velocity sinker, a devastating sweeper with elite horizontal movement, a four-seam fastball, and a cutter—tools that have long made him a high-upside arm when healthy.
In a corresponding roster move, the Cardinals designated outfielder Matt Koperniak for assignment to clear space on the 40-man roster.
This signing represents a low-risk, high-reward addition for St. Louis under Bloom’s leadership, as the team looks to blend veteran experience with its young core in the ongoing rebuild. May could provide stability atop a rotation featuring emerging talents like Matthew Liberatore, Michael McGreevy, and others.
Fans in St. Louis will hope “Big Red” can recapture his early-career form and help turn the page toward contention in 2026.
