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The teardown is underway in St. Louis with Chaim Bloom at the helm.
When Chaim Bloom took over as the president of baseball operations of the St. Louis Cardinals, you knew changers were eventually coming. As chief baseball officer of the Boston Red Sox, Bloom was always making changes and trading away some key players. That trend has continued with the Cardinals.
It has been an offseason of change, to say the least, with St. Louis. Bloom has traded away Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras, and Brandan Donovan. It is part of some changes going on, but Bloom has also signed some free agents. One of his signings was pitcher Dustin May, and Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report had a warning for the Cardinals about May for the upcoming season.
St. Louis Cardinals Get Blunt Dustin May Warning
Once seen as one of the up-and-coming stars for the Los Angeles Dodgers, May’s career has been hampered by injuries. At the trade deadline last July, the Dodgers sent him to the Red Sox. Hoping that a change of scenery would help him, he struggled and fell out of Alex Cora’s rotation.
Despite dealing with several injuries, May has worked 324 career innings, which allowed him to become a free agent this winter. Bloom signed the 28-year-old to a one-year, $12 million contract. That feels like a Chaim Bloom bargain signing; however, Kelly believes that May is going to potentially be a bust in 2026.
“Dustin May is the type of pitcher that it makes sense for Chaim Bloom and a rebuilding Cardinals team to take a risk on. That doesn’t mean that there isn’t still a chance—maybe a high chance, even—that May doesn’t work out,” wrote Kelly.
The 6-foot-6 right-hander from Texas made a career-high 23 starts last year between the Dodgers and Red Sox. He went 7-11 with a 4.96 ERA in 132.1 innings. However, following the trade to Boston, he was 1-4 in six appearances, five starts, with a 5.40 ERA in only 28.1 innings. You can see why the Red Sox let him leave this winter.
Dustin May Part of Rebuild With the St. Louis Cardinals
This is a move that can be a win-win for both the player and the team. It is also one that can backfire for Bloom and the Cardinals. Bloom also acquired Richard Fitts, Hunter Dobbins, and Brandon Clarke from Boston in trades for Gray and Contreras. This has the potential to be a starting rotation that has many more questions than answers. However, most questions could end up surrounding May.
“May is only 28, and the Cardinals are rebuilding, so he’s an intriguing person to take a shot on. But if history is any indication, he’ll spend much of his one-year, $12 million deal on the injured list,” Kelly wrote.
The moves this winter by Bloom signal changes and a rebuild in St. Louis. The Cardinals also lost Miles Mikolas to free agency as well. He signed with the Washington Nationals. Clearly giving May $12 million, Bloom is hoping he can turn things around. If he does, the Cardinals benefit big-time. He could be used as a trade deadline chip. Whatever ends up happening, the warning from Kelly is one that can’t be ignored.
Scott Roche Scott Roche covers college football, NFL, NBA and MLB for Heavy.com and has three decades of sports writing, covering everything from college to professional sports. More about Scott Roche
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