Report: Mets In Pursuit Of LHP Tyler Anderson

With the July 30 trade deadline inching closer, the Mets are looking to add to their pitching depth.

After acquiring Rays left-hander Rich Hill on Friday to fill one of their holes in the rotation, the Mets are now in pursuit of Pirates lefty Tyler Anderson, per MLB Insider Jon Heyman.

However, as Heyman also noted, the Mets aren't alone, as a number of other teams are also interested in the 31-year-old.

Ideally, the Pirates would like to trade Anderson prior to his next start on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. EST., per Heyman.

The Mets have been linked to Anderson since July 16. The southpaw is a pending free-agent, and he should likely come relatively cheap, considering what the Padres sent to Pittsburgh in exchange for All-Star second baseman/outfielder Adam Frazier earlier this week.

Anderson is 5-8 with a 4.35 ERA and 1.20 WHIP across 18 starts this season. While getting Anderson wouldn't be a "big splash" move, acquiring him would turn an injury riddled Mets' rotation, into a deep unit all of a sudden.

And at this point, a backend depth starter such as Anderson seems to be the most likely avenue for the Mets, as opposed to acquiring a big name pitcher.

If Anderson does wind up in Queens, he would join a Mets rotation consisting of Taijuan Walker, Marcus Stroman, Tylor Megill and Rich Hill, along with Jacob deGrom (right forearm tightness) and Carlos Carrasco (torn hamstring) once they return from the IL.

Despite all of the injuries the team has endured this year, specifically to their pitching staff, adding Anderson would give them seven reliable arms in the rotation, and would ultimately serve as a solid insurance option.