As important as it is for MLB players to play well during the regular season, the postseason is where legacies are truly made. I mean, as great as Aaron Judge is, there's a reason MLB fans don't quite give him the credit he deserves — before this postseason, he had seemingly always shrank under the bright lights of October.
Performing in the regular season is good, but doing so in the postseason when the pressure is on and the competition is fierce is where the big money is made. Why else would Walker Buehler have been able to sign a deal worth $21.05 million this past offseason after he hadn't been productive in the regular season since 2021? He turned it on when it mattered most.
With that being said, these four upcoming free agents can gain a lot with strong performances in the League Championship Series, but they can also lose a lot of money by playing poorly.
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4) Seranthony Dominguez, Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays made a couple of big trades at this year's trade deadline to address their bullpen, landing both Louis Varland and Seranthony Dominguez in separate deals. Varland, a fireballer with several years of control, was the big name, but Dominguez is important in his own right.
He posted a 3.16 ERA in 67 regular-season appearances overall and had a 3.00 ERA in 24 outings with the Jays. Command can elude him at times, as evidenced by his 13.8 percent walk rate in the regular season, but he's incredibly tough to square up and is a crucial piece in Toronto's 'pen. Dominguez carried his regular-season momentum into the ALDS when he threw 3.1 hitless innings against the New York Yankees, but his first ALCS appearance didn't go as well.
Dominguez entered in the top of the eighth inning against the top of the Seattle Mariners' lineup with the Jays trailing 2-1. He struck out Cal Raleigh, but allowed the other three batters he faced to reach base, two of whom did so via walks. Jorge Polanco's RBI single following those two walks gave Seattle a much-needed insurance run. Mason Fluharty made sure that Dominguez didn't give up any more runs in that inning, but Dominguez clearly hadn't done his job.
One rough postseason outing won't impact his value, but it's clear that when he isn't throwing enough strikes, he's ineffective. He has the rest of this series (and hopefully the World Series) to prove he can throw enough strikes to be relied upon as a high-leverage reliever. If he can do that, he'll get paid handsomely. If not, he'll get paid as a middle-reliever, and that won't be nearly as lucrative.
3) Enrique Hernandez, Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers made a pretty surprising decision ahead of the postseason, opting to leave Michael Conforto off their roster, opening the door for Kiké Hernandez to play regularly. He's played all but two innings of the postseason thus far, and in true Kiké fashion, he's excelled. He's slashing .318/.400/.409 with two doubles and four RBI in six games, adding onto his already fantastic postseason resume.
Hernandez is on a team with stars like Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Will Smith and Teoscar Hernandez (I can go on, but won't), yet he's third on the club in hits and leads the Dodgers in runs scored this October. Hernandez doing that after slashing .203/.255/.366 with 10 home runs and 35 RBI in 92 regular-season games is ridiculous.
To be completely honest, I'm not sure Hernandez would even be offered a guaranteed MLB contract this offseason if he struggled in the postseason. The fact that he's played this well thus far makes it likely that he'll find a job, whether it's with the Dodgers or not, but depending on how the NLCS goes, Hernandez can make more money, or lose that opportunity altogether.
2) Max Scherzer, Toronto Blue Jays
The Blue Jays signed Max Scherzer, hoping he could help round out their rotation, but he was remarkably inconsistent. He pitched a lot better than his 5.19 regular-season ERA would indicate at times, but he missed substantial time due to injury and really struggled down the stretch. His late-season struggles resulted in him getting left off the ALDS roster entirely.
Scherzer is on the ALCS roster, but what his role is remains to be seen. The Jays might use him as their starter in Game 4, but he could also be used out of the bullpen. Regardless of what his role is, Scherzer will almost certainly pitch at some point, putting the pressure on him to perform.
I have no idea what Scherzer's intentions beyond this season are, but he's a 41-year-old who has dealt with numerous injuries in recent years and was unusable down the stretch. I don't know whether he wants to retire or not, but I'm not sure how many teams would be lining up to sign him after the season he's had. If he pitches well in this series, though, perhaps there's a team or two out there that'd think the future Hall of Famer still has a little more left in the tank.
1) Eugenio Suarez, Seattle Mariners
Eugenio Suarez is easily the biggest name on this list. The Seattle Mariners traded for him at the deadline hoping he'd be an impact bat for them down the stretch and in October. For whatever reason, that has not happened. Suarez hit just .189 with a .682 OPS in 53 regular-season games for Seattle, and even after hitting a double on Sunday, he's just 3-for-25 with 10 strikeouts this postseason.
Suarez was the biggest bat on the trade market entering the trade deadline and he finished the year with 49 home runs and 118 RBI, but in many cases, it isn't how you start, it's how you finish. Suarez was in the middle of his best season in quite some time prior to the deadline, but teams will remember his struggles in the pressure-filled games more.
There's no denying that his power is legit, but if he isn't going to hit for much of it when it matters most, who cares? Suarez has a chance to change the narrative. If he can put together a strong series to help the Mariners get to the World Series, nobody will remember how he performed in September. If he has another rough series, it'll be tough to pay much attention to his ridiculous first half.
Suarez will get a decent contract no matter what, but his last chance to truly break the bank is with a strong ALCS. A poor showing could result in a weaker contract than someone who hit 49 regular-season home runs might expect.