The Boston Red Sox may have made a slight panic move at the trade deadline this season when they acquired Dustin May from the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Red Sox front office missed the mark badly with trading for May, and now he's predicted not to return to the team.
In May's time with the Red Sox, he posted a 5.40 ERA in 28.1 innings and 13 walks. May had a career high in innings this season, but his production was not good as a starter, as he missed the previous two seasons battling injuries.
MLB writer predicts Dustin May won't return to Red Sox
May signed with LA before the 2025 season on a one-year deal, and is now expected to hit the open market, but it's unclear if a team will take a flyer on him.
FanSided's Katie Manganelli predicts that Dustin May won't return to the Boston Red Sox in 2026:
"May isn't reliable enough to take up the final spot in the Red Sox's rotation, and they could find a better suitor elsewhere on the free agent or trade market."
Manganelli is right; May has shown an inability to be reliable over the course of his career. His bWAR was -0.6 this season, and even if he showed an ability to run out their every fifth day this season, he walks far too many batters and allows too much hard contact.
So while he provided the Red Sox and Dodgers with a plethora of injuries this year, they weren't good injuries, and that may lead him to sign a minor league deal with another club.
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