With early-season pitching concerns mounting, St. Louis Cardinals General Manager John Mozeliak is reportedly eyeing a potential emergency trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers for star right-hander Dustin May. The move comes as the Cardinals grapple with multiple setbacks in their starting rotation just weeks into the 2025 season.
The Cardinals, already dealing with shaky performances from the back end of their rotation and health concerns surrounding Steven Matz and Matthew Liberatore, are now being linked to one of the most intriguing arms potentially available on the trade market.
According to MLB analyst Michael Brakebill, May could be an ideal target for St. Louis as the Dodgers evaluate their deep rotation. With stars like Blake Snell, Shohei Ohtani, and Tony Gonsolin set to return soon, the Dodgers may look to offload May—who is currently holding a dominant 0.82 ERA through his first two starts.
“The Dodgers’ starting depth is ridiculous,” Brakebill noted. “Once everyone’s healthy, there simply won’t be room for everyone in the rotation. May is the odd man out—despite his upside.”
May, 27, is in the final year of his contract and will become a free agent after the season. While his injury history has made some clubs hesitant, his performance early in 2025 has reasserted his value, and the Cardinals could pounce on the opportunity to land him without surrendering a top-tier prospect.
Cardinals GM John Mozeliak has not confirmed direct talks with Los Angeles but acknowledged the team is “actively evaluating external pitching options” and that “there are several arms that could become available sooner than expected.”
“You never want to be forced into a move early in the season, but we also don’t want to fall behind,” Mozeliak said in a recent media session. “If the right arm is out there, we’ll be aggressive.”
Adding May would not only give the Cardinals another strikeout-heavy arm to pair with Miles Mikolas and Kyle Gibson, but also help stabilize a staff that currently ranks in the bottom third of the National League in ERA and WHIP.
As the Dodgers weigh their options and the Cardinals remain in the playoff picture, this trade could materialize quickly—especially if more injuries or setbacks hit the St. Louis rotation.
Stay tuned: this could be the first major pitching move of the 2025 season.
