STL LOUIS, MO., December 17, 2025 – The St. Louis Cardinals announced today that they have signed free-agent right-handed pitcher Dustin May to a one-year contract for 2026 that also includes a mutual option for 2027. Financial terms of the deal were not announced.
“It’s exciting to add someone with Dustin’s talent and upside to our rotation,” said Cardinals’ President of Baseball Operation 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.”
May, 28, posted career highs in wins (7), games pitched (25), games started (23), innings pitched (132.1) and strikeouts (123) in 2025, as he split time between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox.
The 6-6, 180-pound May owns a career mark of 19-20 with a 3.86 ERA and 1.20 WHIP in 71 games pitched, including 57 starts. He finished the 2025 campaign with a 7-11 mark and 4.96 ERA, making 18 starts for the Dodgers before being traded to Boston on July 31. He made five starts in six appearances for the Red Sox following the trade.
Nicknamed “Big Red”, May was a 3rd round draft selection by the Dodgers in 2016 out of Northwest High School in Justin, Texas. He debuted with Los Angeles on August 2, 2019, and in 2020 finished 5th in National League Rookie of the Year voting after going 3-1 with a 2.57 ERA in 12 games pitched for the World Series Champion Dodgers. He was tabbed as the Dodgers Opening Day starter in 2020, becoming the youngest pitcher to do so for Los Angeles since Fernando Valenzuela in 1981.
May compiled a 12-9 mark with a 3.10 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in 46 games pitched (34 starts) between 2019 and May of 2023 before he was felled by ailments that forced him to miss the remainer of 2023 and the entire 2024 season.
His career postseason history includes nine appearances with Los Angeles between 2019-2020. May was credited with the win in relief in Game 1 of the Dodgers 2020 Division Series win over San Diego. He appeared twice in relief during the 2020 World Series vs. Tampa Bay.
In a corresponding move, the team announced that outfielder Matt Koperniak has been designated for assignment to make room on the team’s 40-player Major League roster.
— STL —
