Dustin May’s Cardinals debut makes incredible Dodgers trade somehow look even better

The Red Sox really need to stop trading with the Dodgers.

We won't rehash the Mookie Betts trade — more than enough has been said there — but last year's Dustin May trade is just another sad chapter for Boston in their longstanding, uncanny saga with LA.

And it's getting worse all the time.

The May trade, which brought outfielders James Tibbs III and Zach Ehrhard to the organization, was questionable from the beginning. Sure, May was having a decent season and was fully healthy for the first time in years, but there was no way he was worth two top prospects, especially not as a rental.

May posted a 5.40 ERA in 28 1/3 innings for the Red Sox and, unsurprisingly, walked after the season with no attempt to stop him from Boston's front office. After lingering on the free agent market into December, he signed a one-year, $12.5 million prove-it deal with the Cardinals (a massive overpay, if you ask Dodgers fans).

In his first start for St. Louis, he gave up six earned runs on 10 hits and a walk in four innings.

Meanwhile, Tibbs took no time at all to announce himself to the Oklahoma City Comets after being promoted to start the year. In their first series, he's making Triple-A look like Rookie ball.

Dustin May gets blown up in first Cardinals start while Dodgers-Red Sox trade return James Tibbs III lights up Triple-A

This is just one of many, many secrets to the Dodgers' long-term success. Sure, they can sign anyone they want to, but they can also make trades like this one. It must've taken some amount of desperation from the Red Sox, too — their starting pitching was suffering and they needed to hang onto their postseason spot for two more months — but Andrew Friedman was able to weaponize it.

And it makes the Red Sox the biggest losers here in so many respects. The Cardinals foolishly signed May to a far too expensive deal, but Boston gave up the headlining prospect from the trade that shipped off Rafael Devers. Every other piece of that trade has since left the organization. The Red Sox spun their best pure hitter since David Ortiz into ... nothing.

Tibbs is going to run into the same problem as every other Dodgers top prospect. Kyle Tucker, Andy Pages, and Teoscar Hernández are blocking him from a full-time job in the majors until at least the end of 2027.

But he's also forcing the issue and making himself look too good to let go of, no matter how crowded the roster might be.

The Dodgers stay winning.