Washington Nationals Free Agent Profile: RHP Dustin May

The Washington Nationals have been active to begin the offseason, turning to three players from the San Francisco Giants via both the trade market and waiver wire as president of baseball operations Paul Toboni begins his upgrades along the roster. Yet the starting rotation has remained the top priority for the Nationals to address with questions surrounding the strength of what Washington currently has.

The extension for Cade Cavalli gives the Nationals a dependable piece while the arrival of Connelly Early fills likely the second or third role in the rotation to give Toboni and the front office a foundation to work with. Yet the question remains who the new pieces will be to upgrade a rotation in need of reinforcements. With several options available, whether the Nationals become a player for someone like Dustin May could be the intrigue.

The 29 year old right hander declined his $20 million mutual option with the Milwaukee Brewers to begin the offseason, officially making him a free agent once more. After posting a 5-7 record and 4.38 ERA across 21 appearances with the St. Louis Cardinals through the first half of the 2026 season, May was part of the package to Milwaukee ahead of the trade deadline where he became a key part of the Brewers' pitching staff the rest of the way. May also became the third player in MLB history to win a ring with one team, get traded midseason in consecutive seasons, only to end year two with another ring. It also marked May fourth ring after being limited in 2024 and 2025 while with the Los Angeles Dodgers, tying Mookie Betts for the most among active MLB players.

Owning a 2-2 record and 5.65 ERA across ten regular season games, May went on to notch a 5.73 ERA across five appearances in the Brewers' World Series run, including picking up the lone loss against Tampa Bay in the five game series. While May also notched a new career best with 145.2 innings pitched in 2026, May also recorded eight strikeouts across 11 innings pitched during the postseason run, months after taking a no-hitter into the eighth inning while still with the Cardinals. Yet he arrived in Milwaukee as an expected postseason starter, but filled the role as the low leverage option down the stretch. 

With May expected to ink a longer deal, he also enters the offseason with familiarity with the Nationals' front office given he spent six games with the Boston Red Sox to close the 2025 season. The question now becomes does Toboni engage in a potential addition from a familiar face?