Heading into 2026, the St. Louis Cardinals will seemingly take a further step back, as they did in 2025, when they finished fourth in the National League Central with a 78-84 record. Looking to shed salary, which could come in the form of trading third baseman Nolan Arenado, who has $31 million remaining on his deal, the Cardinals have already shed salary by trading right-hander Sonny Gray to the Boston Red Sox. Trading Gray gave the Cardinals some payroll flexibility, but it also depleted their starting rotation, which now lacks a veteran presence and is somewhat inexperienced. To counter this trend, the Cardinals and right-hander Dustin May are finalizing a deal pending a physical, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan. May, who will enter his age-28 season, pitched for the first time in two years in 2025 after missing all of 2024 due to an arm injury and a torn esophagus. Splitting time between the reigning World Series Champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Red Sox, May went 7-11 with a 4.96 ERA and st
