Dustin May's Brewers' fate all but confirmed by latest free agent rumors

Dustin May will forever be a part of the first World Series-winning team in Milwaukee Brewers history. However, it's looking increasingly likely that the three months May spent in Milwaukee during the final stretch of the regular season and the team's memorable postseason run ends up being the only time the right-handed starting pitcher spends in a Brewers uniform.

The Brewers acquired May at the midseason trade deadline to fortify their otherwise inexperienced starting rotation. The club was hoping that May, who had prior postseason experience and a high-upside arsenal, could serve as a strong No. 3 option behind Jacob Misiorowski and Logan Henderson in the playoffs. Unfortunately, May turned in a very inconsistent performance with the Brew Crew. A 5.65 ERA in 10 starts in the regular season was followed by a 5.73 ERA in five appearances during the postseason. May did serve as the Brewers Game 3 starter in the NLDS, but was relegated to Game 4 in the NLCS and World Series.

Though not the most successful trade deadline acquisition in Brewers' history, or this year for that matter, it's difficult to argue with any midseason transaction when the season ends in a World Series title. No, May wasn't necessarily a big piece of the Brewers' postseason run, but he was a contributor nonetheless.

May had a $20 million mutual option for the 2027 season attached to his contract when the Brewers acquired him from the Cardinals, but the 29-year-old right-hander was always going to decline it and hit free agency instead. That's just what happened last week, and already May has garnered plenty of interest in a thin free agent market. Said interest all but confirms that May will not be returning to the Brewers for their repeat bid in 2027.

Brewers unlikely to enter bidding war for right-hander Dustin May on the free agent market

The path back to the Brewers for the 2027 season always looked like a narrow one for May. Not only did his late-year inconsistency lose him the favor of the Milwaukee faithful, and to some extent, the organization, but the salary he's likely to command simply doesn't make sense for the Brewers' current payroll situation.

At 29 years old and with a potential-laden arsenal, May is likely to bring in a multi-year contract with an average salary of at least $15-20 million. For reference, 32-year-old right-handed reliever Evan Phillips, who is coming off Tommy John surgery, earned a three-year, $35 million deal with the Atlanta Braves earlier today. May is likely to far exceed that contract.

With the Brewers possessing a number of controllable starting pitching options, many of whom have yet to even reach arbitration eligibility, signing an expensive starter like May to a multi-year contract made little sense. Milwaukee's only hope of a reunion was if interest in the right-hander was low and May opted for a one-year prove-it deal that the Brewers were willing to offer. Said possibility is now all but gone after this morning's report from MLB Network's JP Morosi, as seen below.

With at least four teams interested in May's services, the price of the right-hander's free agent deal is likely to rise. It's now almost guaranteed that May gets a multi-year deal, and a lucrative one at that. Such a reality makes a May-Brewers reunion even more unlikely than it already was.

Brewers fans will never forget May and his time spent with the World Series-winning 2026 squad. He turned in several memorable performances during the final two months of the regular season and covered three innings in the game that sent the Brewers back to the World Series. However, based on the amount of interest May is receiving on the free agent market, fans should be prepared to not see him in a Brewers uniform next season.

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