Cardinals News: Free agent signing finalized, young outfielder DFA'd

The St. Louis Cardinals are in the thick of hot stove rumors and potential trades with a variety of teams involving various players, but today, they were able to finalize their first free agent signing, and the corresponding move meant parting with a young outfielder.

The Cardinals finalized their deal with right-handed pitcher Dustin May this afternoon, which ended up being a one-year deal worth $12 million with a $20 million mutual option for the 2027 season that includes a $500,000 buyout. In order to clear room on their 40-man roster for May, the Cardinals decided to designate outfielder Matt Koperniak for an assignment.

Cardinals News: Dustin May signing finalized, Matt Koperniak designated for an assignment

May, 28, was signed by Chaim Bloom as a low-risk, potentially high-upside addition to their 2026 rotation. May was once one of the top prospects in baseball while in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization, but a variety of injuries have kept him off the field throughout his career. In 2025, May reached a career high in innings pitched (132.1) but struggled to find success as he worked his way back from multiple significant injuries. In 25 games, 23 of which were starts, May posted a 4.96 ERA and 4.88 FIP while striking out just 21.1% of the batters he faced.

May has some electric stuff, though, with his sweeper boasting one of the highest spin rates in the game, and his sinker, when he is able to get it into the upper 90s, can be a very effective pitch as well. In recent years, his elbow injuries and a freak esophageal tear have caused his velocity to diminish, so you'd have to think that the Cardinals think he is able to get back to throwing hard once again.

$12 million is a pretty fair commitment for starting pitchers on the free agent market, especially one with the kind of upside May offers.

Koperniak, whom the Cardinals signed as an undrafted free agent back in 2020, looked to be on the cusp of his Major League debut entering spring training after a strong 2024 campaign in Triple-A. Last year, Koperniak slashed .309/.370/.512 with 20 home runs and 73 RBI, resulting in a 128 wRC+ in 513 plate appearances for Memphis. Even with a strong performance in camp, he was unable to make the Cardinals' Opening Day roster.

Koperniak proceeded to take a major step back offensively this year, slashing .246/.317/.382 resulting in an 85 wRC+ in 536 plate appearances. Koperniak will turn 28 in February, so it felt inevitable that the Cardinals would be removing him from the 40-man roster at some point. It remains to be seen whether he ends up with a different organization or latches back on with the Cardinals on a minor league deal.