With about six weeks to go until the Aug. 2 MLB trade deadline, the Mets are in a tremendous spot when it comes to the standings. And there will be in-house reinforcements coming soon.

Max Scherzer is close to starting a rehab assignment, and could be back before June is over or shortly after. Jacob deGrom is a bit behind Scherzer, and could return in the first half of July.

The Mets should also soon get James McCann, Trevor May, Travis Jankowski, and Colin Holderman back.

But for a team with World Series aspirations and an owner who is always looking to improve, GM Billy Eppler will likely be very busy over the next month or so.

As things currently stand, the Mets' biggest needs are at catcher and in the bullpen. But things can change fast.

Here are five players they could target between now and the deadline...

Willson Contreras, Cubs

Of all the players who could be available at the deadline, Contreras is arguably the best Mets fit.

Without McCann, Mets catchers Tomas Nido and Patrick Mazeika have not provided much offensively. And before McCann got hurt, he was slashing .196/.266/.286 in 21 games after hitting .232/.294/.349 in 121 games last season.

McCann should be back soon, relegating Nido to the backup role, but the Mets can upgrade this spot in a big way if they swing a deal for Contreras.

There has been some extra buzz lately about generational catching prospect Francisco Alvarez, whose promotion to the bigs (and use behind the plate) the Mets are reportedly not ruling out this season. But it would be a lot to ask a 20-year-old to not only excel at the plate but handle a pitching staff in the middle of a pennant race and potentially into October.

That brings us back to Contreras, who is a free agent after the season. His closeness to free agency doesn't mean the cost to trade for him will be minimal, but it likely won't be prohibitive.

Luis Castillo, Reds

As things currently stand, the Mets should not only be set in the rotation but should have an overflow of starting pitchers that could result in sliding one of them to the bullpen. But that assumes that both Scherzer and deGrom make it back without issue (and remain healthy) and that all of their other starters stay healthy.

And we know what happens when we assume.

Even if the Mets find themselves in a very good spot rotation-wise as the deadline nears, swinging a deal for a pitcher of Castillo's caliber -- who is under team control through 2023 -- would make sense for a team whose rotation could be in flux after the season.

After starting the year on the IL, Castillo has been strong over his first seven starts,

If the Reds make Castillo available, they will be seeking a haul for the year and change of control he has left. But he won't require a player like Alvarez (not that the Mets would even consider trading him), and Brett Baty should also be off-limits here.

Michael Fulmer, Tigers

The Mets should be looking to bolster the back end of the bullpen, and Fulmer is an intriguing option.

With the Tigers buried in the AL Central and Fulmer set for free agency after the season, he should be available.

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