5. Robert Gsellman
Robert Gsellman, a six-year veteran making all of his Major League appearances in a New York Mets uniform, will undoubtedly be finding himself a new home in 2022.
Gsellman, 28, is similar to Chad Kuhl in that he is able to function in many different roles. Since his debut in 2016 as a 22-year old, Gsellman has appeared as a starter, long-reliever, middle-reliever and even a closer for a short time in 2018.
While he doesn’t have the shiniest statistics to his name, there is reason to believe that he is capable of performing at at least league-average across the board. Throughout his career, Gsellman has been at or even slightly above-average in FIP, WHIP, BB/9 and HR/9. He doesn’t allow too many baserunners or long balls – traits all teams are seeking in today’s game.
Injuries have been something of an issue for Robert Gsellman over the years, he has been placed on the 60-day injured list in 2019, 2020, and 2021, including right lat strains multiple times.
In 2021, Gsellman appeared in 17 contests for the Mets before going down with his second career right lat strain. In 28.2 innings, the righty struck out 14.3% of batters he faced and walked 5.9%. Neither number looks very good on paper. However, Gsellman, as others mentioned before him, has a track record of solid performances that will ensure there is interest in his first career trip to free agency.