For the second trade deadline in a row, the Dodgers traded a starting pitcher lower on the rotation depth chart to the Red Sox. This time, Dustin May is headed to Boston for two minor league outfielders, the Dodgers announced Thursday.
Jeff Passan at ESPN was first to report the deal, which was confirmed by Fabian Ardaya at The Athletic and Jack Harris at the Los Angeles Times.
May had a star-crossed career to this point, going through two major elbow surgeries and an esophageal tear that limited him to only 20 starts from 2021-24. This year May has been healthy, one of only six Dodgers pitchers on the domestic opening day roster to have avoided the injured list, but his results have been spotty.
May has a 4.85 ERA and 4.88 xERA in 19 games this season, including 18 starts, with 97 strikeouts and 43 walks in 104 innings. That included a 4.09 ERA through the first third of the season and a 5.57 ERA in the second third. His 12-percent strikeout-minus-walk rate is ranked 52nd among the 82 pitchers with at least 100 innings.
Those 104 innings for May are nearly double his previous major league career high, and are the most he’s thrown professionally in a season since combining for 144⅔ innings between the minors, majors, and postseason in 2019.
With Tyler Glasnow back, Shohei Ohtani stretching out, Blake Snell returning this weekend in Tampa Bay, and Emmet Sheehan emerging, May is the odd man out in the rotation. He’s in a similar situation to veteran James Paxton last season, who was also traded to the Red Sox, though that was a week before the deadline.
Also like Paxton last year, May will be a free agent at the end of this season. Though May is only 27 years old, eight years younger than Paxton last year.
Coincidentally, May’s last start with the Dodgers was at Fenway Park, taking the loss on Sunday afternoon.
May is making $2.135 million this season, with the Red Sox responsible for the roughly $688,710 the rest of the season.
Minor league outfielder James Tibbs III is coming to the Dodgers from Boston, which was first reported by Robert Murray from Fansided. Tibbs was the 13th-overall pick in the 2024 draft by the Giants, and was sent to the Red Sox in the Rafael Devers trade in June.
Tibbs this season hit .246/.379/.478 with 12 home runs in 57 games for High-A Eugene. After getting traded the 22-year-old Tibbs was promoted to Double-A Portland and hit .205/.321/.268 in his first 29 games at a new level.
Zach Ehrhard was the other minor league outfielder headed to the Dodgers, first reported by Christopher Smith of MassLive. He was drafted by the Red Sox in the fourth round in 2024 out of Oklahoma State. This season between High-A Greenville and Double-A Portland, Ehrhard hit .270/.371/.434 with 23 doubles, nine home runs, and 23 steals in 88 games.
Ehrhard played most the outfield corners but also started 14 games in center field since turning pro.
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