With the St. Louis Cardinals expected to sell at the MLB trade deadline, the Mets could look to find diamonds in the rough to turn their season around.
The New York Mets have been one of the biggest disappointments in baseball this year, but not as much as the St. Louis Cardinals, who are in such bad shape they pretty much have to be sellers at the MLB trade deadline.
As New York and St. Louis gear up to begin a series on Friday, the Mets are fourth in the NL East at 32-36. Meanwhile the Cardinals are an unfathomable 27-42 and sitting at the bottom of the NL standings.
The Mets can still find a way to salvage their season with some savvy moves. The Cardinals need to cash in on every asset they can. So here are some options New York could keep an eye on ahead of the deadline.
Cardinals players the Mets can target at the trade deadline: Jordan Hicks
Here's the thing though, St. Louis has been bad for a reason, so whatever players the Mets may consider, they'll have to take a bit of a gamble.
Jordan Hicks is a prime example of that. The 26-year-old has been abysmal at times this season. He's got a 4.54 ERA and a 1-4 record. He hasn't really been good since 2019 when he had a 3.14 ERA and 14 saves.
But the Mets need help in the bullpen and the Cardinals have incentive to trade Hicks since he'll be a free agent after the season.
The good news is St. Louis wouldn't exactly have great leverage so Hicks should be available on the cheap. Beggars can't be choosers?
Cardinals players the Mets can target at the trade deadline: Tyler O'Neill
First things first, the Cardinals aren't going to trade Paul Goldschmidt or Nolan Arenado, either of whom could be a real game-changer for the Mets. That's not to say New York shouldn't pose the question to find out just how desperate St. Louis might be. It's just that they're not likely to be that desperate, so other options have to be identified.
Dylan Carlson could be available in the midst of an unimpressive season in the outfield but Tyler O'Neill is another potential prize considering his 34-home-run season just a couple of years ago.
O'Neill has missed time since May while dealing with a lower back strain. He's expected to begin rehab soon and could be back on the field just in time to become one of the Cardinals more realistic trade assets.
The injury issues are certainly a concern, but again, the Mets would have to take a few risks by buying low on certain Cardinals players like O'Neill. If his health were to hold up, he could legitimately improve New York's lineup and outfield options.
Cardinals players the Mets can target at the trade deadline: Jordan Montgomery
The Mets need another arm in their rotation while the Cardinals need to figure out how to get something in return for Jordan Montgomery and Jack Flaherty.
There's an argument for going after Flaherty. At 27 years old, he's heading for free agency but he could still be worth the effort to sign on a new contract if the rental period this year works out. Of course, the problem is that he's struggled at times this season with a 4.64 ERA and his availability over the last few seasons has been poor.
So alternatively there's Jordan Montgomery, the former Yankee whose move to St. Louis hasn't worked out particularly well. He's 3-7 in 2023.
At the same time, Montgomery has maintained an era of 3.91 on a team that hasn't consistently given him run support. His numbers beyond wins and losses aren't so bad. He could be a legitimate improvement on the likes of Carlos Carrasco and Tylor Megill.
Whether the move is for Montgomery or Flaherty, the Cardinals pitching staff could get raided as both players will be free agents at the end of the year and St. Louis has incentive to ship them out for anything in return.
