5 free agent starting pitchers the Mets should stay far away from this offseason

Mets need to stay away from this former New York Yankee player

Since his departure from New York City, Sonny Gray has been an efficient and consistent pitcher throughout his career. Leaving the Yankees out of the equation, Gray has managed to put up good numbers in his stints with the Oakland A's, Cincinnati Reds, and Minnesota Twins.

Especially in the last two seasons, Gray has been a top pitcher in the league. This 2023, his production guaranteed him an All-Star Game selection.

His results have been more than impressive with an ERA below 3.00, an ERA+ above 150, and a FIP below his ERA level ensuring there isn't much of a helping factor from defense or luck in Gray's case.

Sonny Gray could be a top-rotation starter in any baseball rotation. However, one factor cannot fail to be considered in the case of the Mets to fight for their services in free agency.

Baseball has many qualitative and subjective factors that we sometimes don't understand but are real. Factors such as stadiums, clubhouses, or cities negatively influence certain players throughout their careers.

In the case of Gray, his time in New York does not stop bringing up that he is possibly not made for the city. If we look at his career, Gray has been a good pitcher in quiet cities, where there isn't as much media pressure as there is in New York City.

The Mets could skip this part and seek the services of a pitcher of Gray's level. But to ignore his time with the Yankees would be to not understand that in baseball not everything is based on numbers to study the performance of a player.