Starting pitching again looks like an area of strength for the Los Angeles Dodgers, and it’s about to get an upgrade with Blake Snell scheduled to return to the rotation this weekend.
With the Dodgers’ excess of starting pitching, Dustin May became a trade candidate as he’s in his final year of team control and hasn’t performed at a consistent level.
Opposing teams were in the process of scouting May for a potential trade, but there was also some belief the Dodgers would prefer not to part with players from their current roster.
But that did end up happening as the Dodgers are trading May to the Boston Red Sox, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN:
The Boston Red Sox are acquiring right-hander Dustin May from the Los Angeles Dodgers, sources tell ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 31, 2025
The Dodgers acquired James Tibbs III in exchange for May, per Robert Murray of FanSided:
The Los Angeles Dodgers are acquiring outfield prospect James Tibbs III from the Boston Red Sox, according to a source familiar with the deal. Tibbs was acquired by the Red Sox from the Giants in the Rafael Devers trade.
— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) July 31, 2025
May now gets a chance to stay in the rotation with the Red Sox, an opportunity that was unlikely to continue with the Dodgers. He may have been an interesting candidate for their bullpen, but L.A. decided to capitalize on the weak starting pitcher market.
The 27-year-old has pitched to a 4.85 ERA this season with a 4.70 FIP, 1.35 WHIP, 21.5% strikeout rate and 9.55 walk rate. He’s already set career-highs with 104 innings pitched and 18 starts.
Dustin May wasn’t shocked by trade rumors
May has often been connected to trade deadline rumors as he was previously one of the top pitching prospects in baseball. Because of his past experiences, he wasn’t surprised to hear his name on the market once again.
In 2018, May reportedly was coveted by the Baltimore Orioles in a Manny Machado trade. In early 2019, May’s name was linked to J.T. Realmuto trade rumors.
At the MLB trade deadline in 2019, the Pittsburgh Pirates were interested in May for a potential Felipe Vazquez deal, and that offseason, the Dodgers were thought to be willing to include him in a trade for Francisco Lindor.
The following offseason in 2020, the Dodgers were reported as being intent on keeping May and Gavin Lux while they had interest in Mike Clevinger, Mookie Betts and Lindor.
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