Cardinals get good news amid trade deadline projection on $12.5 million pitcher

May 27, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Dustin May (3) delivers a pitch against the Milwaukee Brewers in the first inning at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals might be a postseason contender at the moment, but Cardinals fans should be prepared for Chaim Bloom to sell at the MLB trade deadline.

This season was meant to be a rebuilding year, and while trading some key players who are under contract for 2027 might not be in play, anyone who is hitting free agency after 2026 could be on the move.

For $12.5 million pitcher Dustin May, the projection from Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report for the trade deadline is good news for the Cardinals ahead of the deadline.

Cardinals' Dustin May trade projection is good news

"He's not quite the pre-injuries flamethrower he used to be, but he is as effective now as he has ever been," Miller writes. "He's absolutely worth a $4M flyer (including that $500K buyout) if he's still healthy at the deadline."

May might not be the high-upside starter he once was with the Los Angeles Dodgers, but he's someone worth being interested in if a team needs pitching help this summer.

With the August 3 deadline less than two months away, as long as May stays healthy and doesn't regress back to his early-season self, there's no reason why the $12.5 million starter shouldn't bring back a decent return this summer.

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Miller also noted that May has a "Desirability Meter: 6.5 out of 10," which is a good sign that the Cardinals will have teams coming to inquire about May this year.

With USA Today's Bob Nightengale reporting that the Cardinals are expected to trade May this summer, getting more teams interested is key. May being more desirable is a good thing for the Cardinals.

This trade deadline projection is a good sign for the Cardinals. With more interested teams, Bloom should be able to bring back a better return for the half-season rental of May.

While it might be a little sad to act as sellers at the deadline, in reality, this Cardinals team isn't ready, and getting solid prospects back for rentals would be the smart move from the front office. And this projection points to a strong return for May by the deadline.

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