Among the Los Angeles Dodgers’ moves at the 2025 MLB trade deadline was sending Dustin May to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for prospects James Tibbs III and Zach Ehrhard.
May returned to the mound this season after missing most of the last two years while recovering from multiple surgeries. He struggled to the tune of a 4.85 ERA, 4.71 FIP and 1.35 WHIP over a career-high 104 innings and 19 appearances (18 starts).
Speculation about a potential May trade began to ramp up in the days leading up to the deadline. Given his inconsistencies this season and the Dodgers rotation getting back to full health, the 27-year-old became a likely trade candidate.
May discussed the move and believes he ran out of opportunities with the Dodgers, via Chris Cotillo of MassLive:
“I was kind of pushed out,” said May, who arrived in Boston on Saturday. “We had quite a few guys there in that organization. I couldn’t be more excited. It’s thrill to be here and be a part of it.
“It was definitely a ride of emotions, up and down. Definitely sad leaving because I’ve been there for my whole career, but definitely very, very excited to be joining this organization and hope for a playoff push.”
Had May stayed with the Dodgers past the trade deadline, he likely would have shifted into a bullpen role due to the strength of the starting rotation and a need to manage his workload.
The Dodgers are currently going with a six-man rotation of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Shohei Ohtani, Clayton Kershaw, Blake Snell and Emmet Sheehan. Though, manager Dave Roberts noted over the weekend that Sheehan will likely move to a bullpen rule in the near future.
Now that May is with the Red Sox, he should get more immediate opportunities to start. With the trade, the right-hander also reunited with former Dodgers World Series champion Walker Buehler.
Why Dodgers traded Dustin May
General manager Brandon Gomes revealed the Dodgers’ decision to trade May stemmed from his desire to remain a starter.
“We had a lot of really respectful conversations with D-May,” Gomes said. “He’s been a huge part of the organization for a long time. Through those conversations, it was apparent that starting was very important to him,” Gomes revealed.
“So while we felt like he could’ve been a contributor out of the bullpen and an impact-type piece, trying to understand the mindset and his desire to continue to start, we took that into consideration. If there was a deal we felt like made sense, we were going to be open to do it. So that’s kind of how it came together. I think it worked out for both sides.”
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