7 St. Louis Cardinals the SF Giants should target at the trade deadline

The SF Giants, despite the pre-season predictions find themselves well in the hunt for a playoff spot in the National League as the second half of the season gets underway, but if they do want to be seen as genuine contenders, they'll need to make some big time moves.

7 St. Louis Cardinals the SF Giants should target at the trade deadline

One team that have now officially declared themselves sellers at the trade deadline are the St. Louis Cardinals, and while San Francisco may not be able to get to any of their top prospects or biggest stars, that doesn't mean the two can't come together on a deal.

So while not all of these players will be on the Giants radar, there are plenty of names to look out for, with the following seven players being genuine names the Giants should be looking towards at the trade deadline.

1. Tyler O'Neill

This one would be a very cheap move for the Giants, as O'Neill has struggled to stay healthy since his breakout season with St. Louis back in 2021, but when healthy, he could no doubt provide the team the power and the thump in the middle of the lineup they've been looking for.

If the Giants do target O'Neill, it's likely to be as a secondary piece in a much bigger trade, but given his potential as a bench piece going forward, the Giants would be silly to not at least take a look at him in a move.

If he's one of the biggest moves for the Giants this deadline period, the fans will no doubt be underwhelmed, but if they can add him for the rest of the season as a power bat off the bench, it could turn out to be a stroke of genius.

2. Nolan Gorman

If the Giants are still in playoff position when the trade deadline winds down, they should be looking for win-now pieces, but if they want to look to the future at the same time, then infielder Nolan Gorman could be a very realistic possibility.

The 23-year old is in just his second season at the big league level, but has already developed into a crucial part of the Cardinals lineup, hitting .229 with 17 home runs and 52 RBI in his 81 games thus far in 2023.

It's unlikely St. Louis will look to trade the middle infielder, but if they don't get their ideal offers on other infielders, then moving young Gorman could be the way to get the best package from a talented Giants prospect pool.

3. Jordan Montgomery

It's no secret that the SF Giants have struggled on the mound this season, and while they've got consistent performances from Logan Webb and All-Star Alex Cobb, the depth beyond that has left plenty to be desired.

Most Giants fans will be looking to land big names at the deadline to fix the issue, but if Farhan Zaidi wants to continue building this young core, they may be looking for a solid, not flashy move instead, which could be the best way to describe Jordan Montgomery.

In 18 starts this year, the 30-year old veteran has put together a 6-7 record with a 3.23 ERA, and while it wouldn't be the splash that some are expecting, he could be a solid option to fill a role in the back end of the rotation as the Giants look to make a playoff push.

Given that Montgomery is slated to hit free agency this offseason, it seems like that he will be traded before the deadline.

4. Paul DeJong

The SF Giants as mentioned are looking at potentially filling a role on the infield for the rest of this season due to the injury to Thairo Estrada, so why not look at a proven veteran who's solid at the plate and in the field.

While Paul DeJong has mainly played shortstop throughout his career, the hope here would be that he could transition to second base and play the veteran role alongside Brandon Crawford following years of solid playoff performances.

In 64 games this season, DeJong is hitting .231 with 12 home runs and 29 RBI, and while he wouldn't be a key piece in the middle of this lineup, he would be a solid option for the remainder of the year, especially if the team look to make a deep playoff run.