5 best trade targets not named Shohei Ohtani to keep an eye on this summer

Pittsburgh Pirates v St. Louis Cardinals
Pittsburgh Pirates v St. Louis Cardinals / Joe Puetz/GettyImages
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As a New York Mets fan it's never too early to take a look at some tantalizing trades that could potentially be had at this year's Trade Deadline. The Mets are presumed to be in the thick of the playoff race by the time the Trade Deadline rolls around in August and all eyes will be on the Los Angeles Angels and what they plan to do with Shohei Ohtani.

While I would be under the assumption that the Mets would be one of those teams making a call to the Angels' front office should Ohtani be made available for teams at the deadline. However, there are some other players that the Mets front office should keep an eye on should some of these teams be sellers at the Trade Deadline.

I wanted to take a look at five players that the Mets front office should monitor should any of their clubs make them available, as each player would most likely provide an upgrade to the roster in some sense.

1) NY Mets trade target: Tyler O' Neil

One player who I could see changing jerseys before the end of the season is St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Tyler O'Neil. The Cardinals are loaded with young outfield talent and O'Neil may be the best player to bring them back something of value at this year's Trade Deadline.

Earlier this month, there was also a baserunning incident that led to a public war of words between O'Neil and Manager Oli Marmol which almost seemed to solidify that O'Neil's days in a Cardinals uniform may be numbered. The 27-year-old O'Neil is not eligible for free agency until 2025 which would give the Mets some team control for a couple of seasons, in turn, they could plug him into a corner outfield spot.

O'Neil's real breakout season came back in 2021 in which he slugged 34 home runs with 80 RBIs to go along with a .286 batting average for the Cardinals. Last season he struggled with a wide variety of injuries which led to him playing only 96 games, but should he be made available he would be a prime change of scenery candidate with the Mets moving forward.