While former Cy Young Award winner Dallas Keuchel says he's surprised he remains unsigned in early May, the 31-year-old former Houston Astros starter is completely at peace with his decision to stay on the market.

"I would love to be out there playing ball and helping a team win," Keuchel told Yahoo! Sports' Tim Brown. "Because, to my career at this point, I’ve done more winning than I have losing and at a much higher clip. So what team wouldn’t want me to be out there? Am I the best at this point in time? No. But am I more than or better than some of the offers I’ve been given? Absolutely. That’s not me being greedy. That’s just my compensation in the market from what the analytical data is telling me. I didn’t come up with this. The front offices came up with this. So now they’re trying to tell me I’m less than what the analytical data is saying. How is that possible?”

Keuchel is coming off of a season in which he went 12-11 in 34 starts with an earned run average of 3.74 and a WHIP of 1.314 over 204.2 innings pitched. He struck out 153 batters and walked 58. He also won a fourth Gold Glove in 2018.

A native of Tulsa, OK, Keuchel says he welcomes the comparisons to Pro Bowl running back Le'Veon Bell, now of the New York Jets, who sat out all of the 2018 season after failing to come to terms on a new deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

"When people tweet at me, saying, ‘Hey, quit being the Le’Veon Bell of baseball,’ it is a funny line," Keuchel said. "But he stood up for himself. He stood up for his well-being. And I’m standing up for my well-being as well. It’s about principle in both situations. Now, I’m not looking to sit out this whole year. I wasn’t looking to sit out at all. But we are in this situation right now. I would love to sign tomorrow. I would love to sign right now. Or, I might have to wait until this draft pick comes off me. Whatever happens, happens. I’m not going to dwell on it. I’m going to be ready to go. That’s me right now."

Keuchel, a seven-year veteran, tells Brown that, while he listens to the counsel of agent Scott Boras, the decision to finally sign will come down to himself alone.

"I lead the ship," Keuchel said. "Scott will give me information in general. He gives me necessary information for me to make a knowledgeable decision on my future. … And if it were up to him I would probably be signed at this point. He wants me out there throwing, pitching, and putting up stats that are quality major league stats. I told him no on numerous deals because it’s about principle. It’s about fair market value. And I wasn’t getting that."

His asking price and what he's looking for from a team shouldn't come as a surprise to anybody, Keuchel says.

"My asking price and my due diligence is not just out of left field," Keuchel said. "It has come to me through my own career path, my own career numbers, and then what my market is valued at this point in time. To this point it hasn’t been matched. It’s been less than what it should be. And this is out of principle, what’s going on right now. I can’t speak for other players. It’s a principle for me. I’m not asking for the world."

June 2 could be a key date for Keuchel and closer Craig Kimbrel, the other remaining unsigned premier free agent. On that date, the compensatory pick that comes with signing a Class A free agent is removed from the equation. Keuchel indicates he's ready to wait until then or even later.

"Why succumb to teams that think you’re needy and you’re willing to accept a lesser offer than your market value?" Keuchel said. "It’s all relative. If you’re at work and you’re killing your job, nine to five every day, and you get another offer that’s less, why would you accept that offer?"