Dustin May Declines Brewers Option and Hits Free Agency

Dustin May is a free agent again. The right-hander has declined his half of a $20 million mutual option with the Milwaukee Brewers, collecting a $500,000 buyout instead, in a move first reported by Jon Heyman of the New York Post and widely expected around the league. May arrived in Milwaukee at the trade deadline after signing a one-year, $12.5 million deal with the St. Louis Cardinals last winter. The Cardinals dealt him along with reliever JoJo Romero for a pair of prospects, and May finished the season with the Brewers, who went on to win the title. Mutual options almost never survive to be exercised by both sides, and Milwaukee was always likely to pass on its end of the clause as well. The decision is the first of four option calls facing the world champions this winter. Milwaukee is widely expected to exercise a $14.5 million option on catcher William Contreras, while buying out Gary Sanchez and declining a $14 million option on reliever Antonio Senzatela. May's representatives are expected to seek a two- or three-year deal worth more than his 2026 salary, betting that teams will still pay for his raw stuff.