Mets are rumored to be scouting Reds starter Tyler Mahle

The New York Mets have three of their top-of-the-rotation starting pitchers on the Injured List at the moment. Max Scherzer, Jacob deGrom, and Tylor Megill are on the IL.

Scherzer is likley out for six-to-eight weeks, deGrom has yet to begin a rehab assignment after beginning the season on the IL, and Megill just began throwing once again earlier this week.

The Mets, much like the Cincinnati Reds, have been bit by the injury bug. But, unlike the Redlegs, the Mets may be looking outside the organization to do something about it.

The latest Reds rumors suggest the Mets are scouting Tyler Mahle.

The latest Reds rumors are unlikely to find favor with the Cincinnati faithful, but it also should not come as a surprise. Jon Heyman of the New York Post is reporting that the Mets have been scouting Reds starting pitcher Tyler Mahle.

Fellow starting pitcher Frankie Montas of the Oakland Athletics was said to scouted by New York as well, but Heyman suggests that the Mets will likely face enormous competition for his services with teams like the Minnesota Twins, Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees, and St. Louis Cardinals all in on the A's right-hander.

Tyler Mahle has fallen short of the standard he set in 2020 and 2021, but the fastball is still lively, he's still getting strikeouts, and the right-hander is under team control through 2023 with a modest salary of just $5.2M this season.

The one bugaboo that Mahle seems to have put behind him so far this season has been the long ball. The California native has give up just three home runs in nine starts and has an HR/9 of just 0.6 after carrying an HR/9 of 1.2 last season.

Tyler Mahle has pitched much better of late, going into the sixth innings in each of his last two starts, Mahle has allowed seven hits and three runs over his last 12.1 innings of work with a 2.19 ERA and a 2.93 FIP.

With so many young starters in the Cincinnati farm system, these latest Reds rumors are hardly shocking. Graham Ashcraft will get his first start today. If all goes well, it might push the Cincinnati Reds front office in the direction of making a deal with the New York Mets.