White Sox Free Agency Fit: RHP Sonny Gray

One of the free agent pitchers the Chicago White Sox have legitimate interest in signing is right-hander Sonny Gray.

Gray may be 37 years old, but he's coming off one of the best seasons of his career. He led all of baseball with 18 wins, finishing 18-5 with a 2.72 ERA over 169 innings pitched. That performance earned him a fifth-place finish in AL Cy Young voting.

Anytime you look at a pitcher Gray's age, the concern about regression is real. But some of his advanced metrics, including his ground ball rate, chase rate, and ability to limit walks, should instill some confidence that his production is sustainable. If that's not enough proof, you can simply look back at Gray's career.

Over the last seven seasons, he's been a full-time starting pitcher for four different MLB organizations. He's a two-time All-Star and has never posted an ERA higher than 4.28 during that stretch. That's a relatively stable floor for a pitcher who is also capable of posting a sub-3.00 ERA and leading Major League Baseball with 18 wins.

But why does he make sense for the White Sox? Well, outside of the organization's obvious need for starting pitching, Gray brings consistency, veteran experience, and the potential frontline upside that the White Sox covet without necessitating a long-term deal.

I'm still a big believer in Freddy Peralta being the ideal White Sox free agency fit. But if Chicago balks at the idea of dishing out a five or six-year contract to a starting pitcher, Gray is an option that allows them to pursue one of the best arms on the market while potentially only committing to a two or three-year deal.

Perhaps that flexibility is exactly what the White Sox need to add more than one starting pitcher this offseason.

Let's say it's Sonny Gray joining Sean Burke at the top of the White Sox starting rotation. Chicago also has Davis Martin and Grant Taylor, and another free agent addition would round out the starting five. That would give the White Sox plenty of options while still representing a more conservative approach to spending in terms of long-term commitments.

It's not my favorite approach. Not because I don't like the pitcher Sonny Gray is, but because I want the White Sox to shoot bigger. Still, Gray could be a pitcher who signs relatively quickly rather than waiting around on the market until December 1.

If things develop quickly with Gray, we could see the White Sox strike soon.