MLB impending free agents who can boost stock in playoffs

The vast majority of this offseason’s free-agent class will put the final touches on their résumé on Sunday, when they conclude the regular season.

For the ones fortunate enough to find themselves with a ticket to October, however, there’s a significant opportunity for them to make a powerful closing statement under the brightest lights, raising their stock before the hot stove ignites.

MLB.com takes a look at some of the impending free agents who will — or, in the case of those still battling for a Wild Card berth, might — have a chance to shine in October before hitting the free-agent market.

(And before you send an angry note that we omitted Juan Soto from the list, we didn’t include the Yankees slugger since he’s already locked in as the top player available this winter. Nothing he does or doesn’t do in the postseason will change that.)

Willy Adames, SS, Brewers
Adames has had a career year in 2024, belting 32 home runs with 111 RBIs and an .794 OPS in 159 games. The top shortstop on the market this winter, Adames is going to be in demand regardless of how he performs in October, but adding a solid postseason would only strengthen his résumé.

Pete Alonso, 1B, Mets
One of the biggest bats on the market this offseason, Alonso had a solid season despite a slight dip in his overall numbers. The 29-year-old has still managed to hit 34 homers in 158 games, so power-needy clubs looking for a first baseman will have to consider him this winter. If there’s one major hole on Alonso’s résumé, it’s the postseason, where the Mets’ three-game loss to the Padres in the 2022 Wild Card round is his only experience.

Alex Bregman, 3B, Astros
Bregman got off to a sluggish start in his contract year, posting a .534 OPS with one home run over his first 37 games. Since May 13, Bregman has 25 home runs and an .836 OPS in 107 games, giving him respectable numbers for the year. With 97 career playoff games already under his belt, Bregman has proven his ability to play under the brightest lights — he has a .790 OPS and 19 home runs in the postseason, helping Houston to titles in 2017 and ’22 — but the 30-year-old could leave a strong final impression on potential suitors with another big October.

Corbin Burnes, RHP, Orioles
Burnes is already in line to be the top pitcher on the market and the No. 2 overall free agent behind Soto. The 29-year-old (he turns 30 on Oct. 22) has been exactly what the Orioles needed, going 15-9 with a 2.92 ERA in 32 starts during his first year in Baltimore, and although he has a 2.84 ERA in eight career postseason appearances, only two of those have been as a starter. Burnes allowed four runs over four innings in his lone outing last October. Burnes is going to cash in with a huge contract this winter, but a strong postseason would push that dollar figure up even further.

Gerrit Cole, RHP, Yankees
Cole can opt out of the final four years and $144 million of his contract at the end of the season, though the Yankees have the ability to negate that opt-out by guaranteeing $36 million for the 2029 season. The 34-year-old missed the first 2 1/2 months of the 2024 campaign with an elbow issue, then posted a 5.40 ERA in his first seven starts of the season. Since the start of August, Cole owns a 2.25 ERA over 10 starts, and if he can post a big October, it’s likely he will get that extra year tacked on or be given a chance to test free agency once again.

Carlos Estévez, RHP, Phillies
Philadelphia paid a hefty price for the closer at the Trade Deadline, believing that Estévez was the final piece to the championship puzzle. The reliever has converted six of his eight save opportunities with the Phillies, pitching to a 2.57 ERA in 20 appearances. Estévez’s lone playoff outing came back in 2017 with the Rockies, in which he allowed one run while recording one out in the NL Wild Card game against Arizona, but if he is a difference-maker in a deep Phillies run, the 31-year-old could boost his asking price this offseason.

Jack Flaherty, RHP, Dodgers
Flaherty bet on himself last winter, signing a one-year, $14 million deal with the Tigers. After posting a 2.95 ERA in 18 starts for Detroit, the righty was traded to the Dodgers at the Trade Deadline, thrusting him into the competitive NL West. Flaherty, who turns 29 on Oct. 15, went 6-2 with a 3.58 ERA in 10 starts for Los Angeles, but the Dodgers’ season really starts in October, where Flaherty has a 1-3 record and 3.60 ERA in five career postseason games (four starts) with the Cardinals and Orioles.

Max Fried, LHP, Braves
Although Fried has a solid 3.25 ERA in 29 starts, the lefty will finish 2024 with his highest ERA since 2019, when he pitched to a 4.02 mark. Fried will be among the top starters available this winter, though his career record in the postseason (2-4, 4.57 ERA in 19 appearances/11 starts) doesn’t match his regular-season success. Fried has an opportunity to turn that around before hitting the free-agent market for the first time, and Atlanta will need him to be in top form to make a run.

Jason Heyward, OF, Astros
Heyward played well in September after being picked up by the Astros at the end of August, filling in admirably in both corner outfield spots down the stretch. Playing in his 15th season, the 35-year-old will be a free agent for the third straight year, and while he will likely be looking for another one-year deal, Heyward — who has a woeful .444 OPS in 43 career postseason games — could be an important part of Houston’s lineup if Yordan Alvarez is sidelined for an extended period of time.

Yusei Kikuchi, LHP, Astros
One of Houston’s primary pickups at the Trade Deadline, Kikuchi went 5-1 with a 2.70 ERA in 10 starts for the Astros. The 33-year-old wasn’t as effective with the Blue Jays this season (4-9, 4.75), but he’ll have an opportunity to show what he can do in October, where he has only one career postseason relief appearance, allowing one run in 1 2/3 innings in the Wild Card round last season.

Sean Manaea, LHP, Mets
Manaea signed a two-year, $28 million deal with the Mets in January, but the deal allows him to opt out of his $13.5 million salary for 2025, at the end of this season. The left-hander has been outstanding for the Mets, going 12-6 with a 3.47 ERA in 32 starts, making it likely that he will test free agency for a second straight year. Performing well in October would pretty much cinch the opt-out situation and make him an appealing arm for pitching-needy contenders.

Frankie Montas, RHP, Brewers
It’s been a tough two years for Montas, who pitched poorly for the Yankees after being traded to New York in the summer of 2022, made only one appearance in 2023 due to shoulder surgery, then went 4-8 with a 5.01 ERA in 19 starts for the Reds this season before being dealt to Milwaukee. The Brewers will be relying on the 33-year-old in the postseason, where Montas can pick up some momentum as he heads back to the free-agent market for the second year in a row.

Anthony Santander, RF, Orioles
Santander has thrived during his walk year, setting new career highs in home runs (44) and RBIs (102), posting an .821 OPS, his highest in a 162-game season (he had an .890 OPS during the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign). Last year marked Santander’s postseason debut, and he went 3-for-11 (.273) with one home run in Baltimore’s ALDS loss to Texas. With a second shot at the national stage, the 29-year-old could cement himself as the second-best outfielder on this year’s market behind Soto.

Tanner Scott, LHP, Padres
Scott has been one of the best relievers in the game this season, posting a 1.75 ERA in 72 appearances with the Marlins and Padres, who dealt for him prior to the Trade Deadline. Scott proved he could close in Miami, and although he’s been used primarily in a setup role in San Diego, he could show a lot in high-pressure playoff situations no matter what inning he’s asked to throw.

Luis Severino, RHP, Mets
The long-time Yankees starter traveled from the Bronx to Queens this season, signing a one-year, $13 million deal with the Mets with the hope of a bounce-back season following a subpar 2023. Severino has accomplished that mission, going 11-7 with a 3.91 ERA in 31 starts, but the 30-year-old has struggled during his postseason career, going 1-4 with a 5.15 ERA in 11 outings (10 starts). Reversing that trend would aid him in his search for the multi-year deal that evaded him a year ago.

Gleyber Torres, 2B, Yankees
Torres made the All-Star team in each of his first two full seasons (2018-19), but the second baseman has been unable to recapture that form over the past five years. Torres has 15 home runs and 63 RBIs with a .701 OPS in 153 games, striking out a career-high 135 times. The 27-year-old has an .820 OPS in 31 career postseason games, so a solid October would give him some momentum heading to free agency.

Gio Urshela, INF, Braves
Urshela took a big pay cut last year, signing a one-year, $1.5 million deal with the Tigers after earning $8.4 million in his final year of arbitration with the Angels in 2023. Detroit released Urshela in August, but he signed with Atlanta two days later after Austin Riley suffered a broken right hand. Riley has been officially ruled out for the postseason, so Urshela will have a chance to boost his stock as his replacement before hitting free agency again.

Justin Verlander, RHP, Astros
The expected Hall of Famer didn’t pitch the requisite 140 innings to trigger his vesting $35 million option, sending him back to the open market ahead of his age-42 season. It remains to be seen whether Verlander will pitch in 2025 or retire, but after going 1-4 with an 8.89 ERA in six starts since returning from the IL on Aug. 21, he could help make that decision based in part on how he performs in October.

Michael Wacha, RHP, Royals
The Royals’ decision to sign Wacha last winter — his sixth club since 2019 — proved to be a key to Kansas City’s turnaround, and while it’s not a certainty that the righty will decline his $16 million player option for 2025, a good October could push him to test free agency again. Wacha pitched in the postseason in each of his first three years in the Majors, winning 2013 NLCS MVP honors as a rookie, but he’s made only one relief appearance in the playoffs since 2016.

Christian Walker, 1B, D-backs
Walker spent more than a month on the IL with an oblique injury, and while he’s been somewhat productive since he returned in early September (three home runs, .749 OPS in 20 games), the 33-year-old could propel himself into free agency with a solid October performance. Walker slashed .217/.360/.350 with one homer, seven RBIs and six stolen bases during Arizona’s run to the World Series a year ago.