Yes, it's still early in the season -- after all, we're just at Memorial Day weekend. But the Aug. 2 Trade Deadline will be here before you know it, and it's never too early to start thinking about how clubs can bolster their rosters for the stretch run.

With that in mind, five MLB.com writers each came up with a trade idea that would make sense for five contenders that could use an upgrade here or there in their quest to win it all.

Here are five moves we'd like to see happen. (General managers, feel free to use these for inspiration.)

Luis Castillo to the Mets

The Mets entered the 2022 season with the promise of a super rotation, but we know what Robert Burns said about the best laid plans: They often go awry. Case-in-point: Injuries to Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer and the emerging Tylor Megill. The Mets are still in the top half of the Majors in starters’ ERA, but reinforcements would certainly be welcome, even as the key injured starters work their way back.

Underlying stats indicate that Castillo’s results should be better so far this season, in a small sample after a late start due to right shoulder soreness. His expected ERA of 3.41, based on quality of contact, is almost a run lower than his actual ERA of 4.35.

And even when the full rotation is back and healthy, you can never have too much pitching. Castillo would remain a worthy contributor. Of course, this is also the type of trade that would benefit the Mets if it happened now, not at the end of July, which would likely make the ask from the Reds’ side even higher. -- Sarah Langs

Andrew Benintendi to the Padres

You look at the names in the Padres' outfield and you wouldn't necessarily think they need a new one: Wil Myers, Trent Grisham and Jurickson Profar currently man the outfield for San Diego. But then you look at the numbers. They just aren't hitting. Myers has a .242/.285/.317 slash line with just one home run in 130 plate appearances. Grisham has a .162/.265/.254 slash line and one homer in 167 plate appearances. Profar is batting .215 and slugging .380. San Diego has gotten the least offense from its outfield of any team.

Enter Benintendi. The 27-year-old lefty is having a career year at the plate. Benintendi is batting .323 with a .396 on-base percentage. He doesn't strike out (13.6% strikeout rate), swing and miss (19.8% whiff rate) or swing at bad pitches (21.0% chase rate) often. He makes a good amount of hard contact (41.4% hard-hit rate). There's a lot to like.

Benintendi will be a free agent at the end of this year, so he's someone the Royals should be willing to deal, especially if they can get a decent prospect. Benintendi has a good track record and he's in his prime, so he's worth going out and getting if you're the Padres, once again battling the Dodgers and Giants in the NL West. Maybe they can even sign him beyond 2022. -- David Adler

Frankie Montas to the Twins

The Twins reportedly discussed Montas in trade talks with the A’s back in March, but they ended up making a deal for a different starter just before their season opener, acquiring Chris Paddack from the Padres. Well, Paddack is done for the year after undergoing Tommy John surgery for the second time, leaving Minnesota short an arm. The additions of Sonny Gray and Chris Archer have worked out well so far, and up-and-coming righties Joe Ryan and Bailey Ober have been excellent, but this isn’t a team that should be standing pat, not with Carlos Correa likely to opt out after this season.

The Twins finished in last place in 2021, but the AL Central is there for the taking this year. Go get a bat and go get Montas, who can help this season and next before he’s eligible to test free agency. The 29-year-old has pitched to a 3.48 ERA with a 10 K/9 and a 3.7 K/BB ratio in 69 starts since the beginning of 2019.

Of course, Montas’ price tag won’t be cheap. Just last year, the Twins got back two Top 100 prospects -- infielder/outfielder Austin Martin and righty Simeon Woods Richardson -- from the Blue Jays for pitcher José Berríos, who had one-plus years of team control remaining at the time, like Montas does now. But it’s a price worth paying for a team in the midst of a historic streak of 18 straight postseason losses. -- Thomas Harrigan

Josh Bell to the Blue Jays

The Blue Jays regularly have only one or two left-handed hitters in their starting lineup these days, and Toronto’s left-handed batters are collectively hitting below .200 for the season. The Jays have incredible power from the right side of the plate with the likes of Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette and George Springer, but are in need of some pop from the opposite batter’s box. Enter the switch-hitting Bell, who is having a solid campaign at the plate in the second and final year of his contract with the Nationals after the Pirates dealt him to Washington prior to the 2021 season.

Bell is slashing .294/.374/.412 so far in 2022, and his strikeout rate of 11.2 percent is way below his career average of 18.3 percent. While the Jays have Guerrero at first base, a Bell/Guerrero rotation between first base and designated hitter could be a very good thing for Toronto. The Nationals, meanwhile, are headed nowhere fast as far as this season is concerned, and Washington could certainly stand to bolster a farm system that ranks in the bottom third of baseball.

With the Blue Jays’ lineup having been somewhat underwhelming over the first two months of the season, Toronto could benefit by swinging a Bell-type trade sooner rather than later, perhaps well before the Aug. 2 Trade Deadline. -- Manny Randhawa

Willson Contreras to the Astros

With the Cubs’ playoff odds dwindling close to 2% and Contreras a pending free agent, he could soon be the last member of the 2016 World Series champions to exit Chicago. Assuming that happens, there should be several suitors for a 30-year-old, two-time All-Star catcher enjoying the finest offensive season of his stellar career. The Yankees figure to come up here, as they so often do. But the Astros are another obvious fit if they can come up with a suitable package from a farm system that MLB Pipeline ranked 29th before Opening Day. Houston, trying to hold off the upstart Angels and land a top-two AL playoff seed, has another great shot to get manager Dusty Baker that long-awaited World Series trophy.

Primary catcher Martín Maldonado has been arguably the most offensively challenged regular hitter in the Majors this season. Fellow veteran Jason Castro hasn’t fared any better in more limited playing time. Now, there’s more to the story, to be sure. Maldonado in particular is a highly respected veteran who is lauded for his work with pitchers. (The Astros, once again, have one of MLB’s best staffs). Perhaps that’s a worthy trade-off for Houston, given the strength of the rest of its lineup.

But an injury here or a slump there could change that calculus in a hurry. With Contreras ranking behind only Aaron Judge and Houston’s Yordan Alvarez in hard-hit rate, the thought of adding him to the mix -- with Maldonado still around to work with pitchers -- has to be an intriguing one. -- Andrew Simon