Ex-Cardinal Lance Lynn Predicts Trade St. Louis Will Make This Season

March 18, 2026 , ,
St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Lance Lynn reacts during 2024 game.

The St. Louis Cardinals may have signed Dustin May to help stabilize the rotation, but Lance Lynn is predicting a short stay for the pitcher.

If May looks like the pitcher St. Louis hoped it was getting, he may not be sticking around all season. 

In Lynn’s view, the plan is to let May rebuild his value, pitch well, and become one of the Cardinals’ biggest trade chips by July.

Lance Lynn sees Dustin May as Cardinals trade bait

Lynn’s prediction was that May is “going to be gone” at the trade deadline if he’s doing what he’s supposed to be doing.

The Cardinals gave the 28-year-old right-hander a one-year, $12.5 million deal with a mutual option for 2027, which looks like a classic upside play. 

If St. Louis is still in the middle of a reshaping year under Chaim Bloom, flipping a healthy May to a contender could be one of the smartest moves available. Jeff Passan added even more fuel to that idea by predicting May could become the most sought-after starting pitcher at the deadline. 

May averaged 95.4 mph on his fastball last season and has reportedly been pushing 98 this spring. 

Dustin May could become a premium deadline chip

May went 7-11 with a 4.96 ERA in 25 appearances between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox in 2025, but the raw ability has never really been the question. 

When healthy, he still looks like a front-line arm, and St. Louis manager Oliver Marmol has already been raving about how the ball is coming out of his hand this spring. 

May also threw a career-high 132.1 innings last year, which is huge for him, as his career has been interrupted repeatedly by injuries. 

If he stays on the mound and looks more like the electric version of himself, his value could shoot through the roof by midsummer.

Prior to the 2024 season, May held a 3.10 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, with 174 strikeouts across 191.2 innings and 46 appearances.

Lynn made the case for a six-man rotation or piggyback setup early in the season, largely because the Cardinals have several arms they may want to protect, including May, Richard Fitts, and Kyle Leahy. 

That kind of workload management could help St. Louis get May to July healthy and effective, which is the sweet spot if the team is out of the race again, and is looking to cash in on him. 

Photo Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

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