Astros Rumors: World Series champion on Houston’s radar in free agency

The Houston Astros have several needs, and newly hired GM Randy Flores might have his work cut out for himself with just under three weeks until the impending MLB lockout. But some recent Astros rumors have already linked Houston to two-time World Series champion, Dustin May.

According to MLB insider Jon Morosi, the Astros are one of several teams interested in May. Morosi also linked the Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, and San Diego Padres to the free agent starter, but noted May's connection to Flores from his time in the St. Louis Cardinals front office.

Flores was, as most Astros fans know by now, the assistant general manager in St. Louis for more than half a decade. That means Flores was part of Cardinals front office staff when the club signed May to a one-year, $12.5 million contract last winter.

Astros rumors: Houston's interest in Dustin May has connection to Randy Flores

Obviously Flores (and the rest of the Cardinals' brass) saw something in May that prompted them to take a flier on the former Los Angeles Dodgers hurler last offseason. May made 21 starts for St. Louis before being traded to their intra-division rival, the Milwaukee Brewers, at the August 3 deadline last summer. He was then part of Milwaukee's rotation as they eventually marched to their first World Series title.

In total, May logged nearly 150 innings over 31 starts and posted a serviceable 4.70 ERA. Obviously the 29-year-old can't be considered a top-of-the-rotation starter, but Houston needs to find a way to strengthen their pitching staff from top to bottom.

May's numbers from last season mimicked his stats from 2025 when he split time between the Dodgers and the Boston Red Sox. As such, it's unlikely he'll receive much of an increase in pay from his 2026 salary, and most outlets project him to take home somewhere in the neighborhood of $13-$15 million. The key to signing the righty might be offering a multi-year deal, something that's risky with such an injury-prone pitcher.

Still, Houston needs to find a way to bolster their rotation heading into next season. At the moment, the Astros are counting on the likes of Hunter Brown, Hayden Wesneski, and Christian Javier atop the rotation in 2027, but behind them are a lot of question marks.

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