Aug 30, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Dustin May (85) pitches against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

Red Sox Starter All But Confirms Dodgers Trade Was A Flop For Boston

Originally posted on Boston Red Sox on SI
By Jackson Roberts | Last updated Aug 31, 2025 1:00 PM ET

Just as the Boston Red Sox got rid of one former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher whose performance had been costing them games all season, another ex-Dodger is beginning to haunt them.

Walker Buehler may be gone, but Dustin May is proving to be just as hazardous to the Red Sox's chances of winning when he takes the mound. Saturday was his third rough outing in five starts with the team; he now sports a 5.68 ERA since coming to Boston.

Getting roughed up by the Pittsburgh Pirates was a new low point for May, who has to worry about free agency this winter on top of keeping his spot in the Red Sox rotation. And given that he was brought in to help with a playoff push, it's clear he feels the weight of his failures thus far.

Dustin May bluntly assesses latest clunker

After allowing seven runs, six earned, to the league-worst Pirates offense (in terms of OPS), May laid plain that he doesn't feel good signing his name to the work he's done for the Red Sox thus far.

“Pretty inexcusable,” said May, per Sean McAdam of MassLive. “I feel like I started off the game pretty good. First four (innings) were solid and then I just completely lost it. The wheels fell off.

"I got traded over here to help the guys out and I feel like the last few have just not been remotely good at all. It’s not the spot I thought I was going to be in at this point.”

The trade, which went down minutes before the deadline, was somewhat surprising, given that May was essentially being forced out of the Dodgers' rotation by the injury returns of Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell.

Plus, the Red Sox were somehow convinced enough that May would be good for them to give up James Tibbs III, the only true blue-chip prospect from the Rafael Devers trade with the San Francisco Giants, for two months of his pitching.

Put plainly, the trade has been a wash so far. And while you can't win every trade, perhaps Craig Breslow will think twice next time before dealing with the Dodgers, who have gotten one up on the Red Sox plenty of times in the past.

This article first appeared on Boston Red Sox on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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