Cardinals All-Star Sends Teammate Goodbye After Trade Deadline Move

KANSAS CITY, MO - JUNE 18: St. Louis Cardinals designated hitter Ivan Herrera (49) as seen during a MLB game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Kansas City Royals on June 18, 2026, at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, MO. (Photo by Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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The St. Louis Cardinals entered the final days before the MLB trade deadline knowing significant roster changes were ahead. Sitting just outside the National League playoff picture in an ongoing rebuild around young talent, the organization is looking to maximize value from its veterans on expiring contracts while continuing to evaluate pieces for the future.

That reality has created an emotional atmosphere inside the clubhouse, where teammates understand that several familiar faces could soon be wearing different uniforms despite success this season. And one impending departure in particular prompted public farewells from teammates this week.

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St. Louis Cardinals All-Star Ivan Herrera Sends Goodbye After Trade Deadline Decision For Teammate

Cardinals All-Star catcher Ivan Herrera acknowledged the team’s trade deadline move on pitcher Dustin May, who was pulled early from a recent outing, by sending him a public farewell.

"He's an amazing teammate, we love him over here and we are going to wish him the best if he gets traded," Herrera said, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Amber Winkler.

Herrera’s goodbye came after the team made a blatant move to signal that May will be traded in the near future.

“The Cardinals entered May's start with a plan to govern his workload in advance of a potential trade and remove him from the game in the middle innings, even if the start was going well,” Winkler added. “His effectiveness allowed him to pitch a fifth inning… Not a bad way to end what is likely his final outing with the team.”

The organization's handling of May reflects the balancing act that sellers who are enjoying surprisingly good seasons face at the deadline. While preserving a pitcher's health ahead of a possible trade, the Cardinals also wanted to showcase his ability to interested clubs without unnecessarily increasing his workload. Ultimately, the team won the game, but reactions in the clubhouse might have been different if the decision to preserve May for another team had resulted in a loss.

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Industry observers have long viewed May as one of the Cardinals' clearest deadline candidates.

“May should be a straightforward candidate to be moved,” Darragh McDonald noted for MLB Trade Rumors. “He signed a one-year deal in the offseason with a $12.5MM guarantee, in the form of a $12MM salary and a $500K buyout on a mutual option. When the Cards signed that deal, they were presumably hoping that he would absorb some innings and put up some numbers before being traded for prospects at the deadline.”

That strategy now appears close to reaching its conclusion. With the trade deadline approaching, the Cardinals seem positioned to convert May's productive season into future assets while giving contenders another experienced starting option for the stretch run.

If Herrera's comments prove prophetic, May's final contribution to St. Louis may have already come. The Cardinals catcher made it clear, however, that regardless of where the right-hander lands next, he'll leave behind the respect of one clubhouse that already seems prepared to say goodbye.

This article was originally published on Forbes.com

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