Sources: Cardinals agree to deal with RHP May

Right-hander Dustin May and the St. Louis Cardinals are in agreement on a free agent contract, pending a physical, sources told ESPN on Saturday.

As one of the youngest free agents in the class, May, 28, drew widespread interest from teams tantalized by his ceiling.

May threw a career-high 132⅓ innings last year in his first season since recovering from a torn esophagus in July 2024 that required surgery and caused him to miss the remainder of the year after an arm injury kept him out the first 3½ months. He was traded from the Los Angeles Dodgers to the Boston Red Sox and together went 7-11 with a 4.96 ERA.

While May's sinker velocity dipped from its peak of 98 mph to 94.5, the 6-foot-6 May was trying to regain the 40 pounds he lost in the first three weeks after the surgery. May bulked up from 185 pounds to around 205 during the season, and in the time since he has added another 15 pounds, leaving him just five short of his previous playing weight.

At his best, May was dominant, but never had he pitched more than 56 innings in a season before last year -- and that was as a 22-year-old in the COVID-shortened 2020 season. The Dodgers relied heavily on May during their run to the World Series title that year, and he projected as a fixture in their rotation.

He underwent Tommy John surgery the next year, suffered further arm injuries in 2023 and ended this season on the injured list with neuritis in his right elbow.

Over seven major league seasons, May has thrown 324 innings with a 3.86 ERA. He has struck out 297, walked 100 and allowed 35 home runs with a 46.6% groundball rate.