Potential free agents with most to gain in playoffs

Whether the "clutch gene" is real or not, the bright lights of the postseason provide a unique opportunity for players to raise their profiles and earn newfound recognition from the baseball world.

Although teams are smart enough not to place too much value on playoff performance, given the small sample size, the postseason can still be a significant resume booster for players headed for free agency.

While Gerrit Cole and Anthony Rendon should remain the two most coveted players in the upcoming free-agent class regardless of what happens over the next month, these potential free agents have much to gain from a strong showing this October.

Players with options

Yasmani Grandal, C, Brewers
(Has $16 million mutual option for 2020 with $2.25 million buyout)

Grandal is a lifetime .107/.264/.200 hitter over 92 plate appearances in the postseason, and his struggles last October on both offense and defense may have contributed to him ultimately settling for a short-term deal. Coming off his best offensive campaign (.249/.382/.471 with 27 homers and 105 walks) as well as another strong defensive showing behind the plate, the backstop will likely decline his half of the mutual option and become a free agent again, and his ineligibility to receive a qualifying offer this time around should only help his value. He could increase the list of teams lining up to sign him by shaking off the playoff doldrums.

Stephen Strasburg, RHP, Nationals
(Can opt out of four years, $100 million remaining on contract)

Strasburg owns a brilliant 0.47 ERA in his postseason career, but he has made just three appearances, as he was famously shut down before 2012 postseason to limit his innings and then missed the 2016 playoffs with a right elbow injury. If the Nats can finally make a deep October run and the 31-year-old continues to dominate on the heels of his first 30-start and 200-inning campaign since 2014, he could be further tempted to opt out of his deal and join Cole at the top of the pitching market.

Players ineligible for qualifying offer

Dallas Keuchel, LHP, Braves

Keuchel rejected the qualifying offer he received from the Astros last offseason, leading to a drawn-out free-agent saga that ended shortly after the MLB Draft in June, when teams no longer had to forfeit a pick to sign him. The southpaw has helped solidify the Braves' rotation, posting a 3.59 ERA over 18 starts, albeit with his highest FIP (4.49) since 2012. The 31-year-old, who has a World Series ring and a career 3.31 ERA in 51 2/3 playoff innings, could play an important role on an inexperienced Atlanta pitching staff this October and improve his chances of securing a lucrative multi-year contract.

Hyun-Jin Ryu, LHP, Dodgers

After recording a 1.97 ERA over 15 starts last season, Ryu accepted a one-year, $17.9 million qualifying offer from the Dodgers, and the club has to be pleased with the return. With a Major League-leading 2.41 ERA in 175 2/3 innings -- the most he's thrown since his 2013 rookie year -- the left-hander is a contender for the NL Cy Young Award. That said, his durability is still a question mark, and his playoff career has been a mixed bag (4.11 ERA in seven starts). An excellent postseason could cement the 32-year-old's case to be paid like an ace on a multi-year deal.

Players eligible for qualifying offer

Will Harris, RHP, Astros

Harris has been a staple of Houston's bullpen over the past five years, recording a 2.38 ERA (career-best 1.55 this season) and making 60-plus appearances four times in that span. However, he has surprisingly thrown just five innings in the playoffs over the past two seasons combined, despite being healthy. The Astros may lean on Harris more heavily this October, giving the 35-year-old the opportunity to show potential suitors that he deserves to be considered among the top options in what projects to be a thin year for free-agent relievers.

Daniel Hudson, RHP, Nationals

Hudson made a successful return from two Tommy John surgeries earlier in his career and reinvented himself as a reliever, but few could have seen his 2019 performance coming after he posted a 4.49 ERA from 2014-18 and was released by the Angels in March. Hudson landed with the Blue Jays and had a 3.00 ERA in 45 games when he was traded to the Nationals on July 31, and now he finds himself closing for Washington as the team heads into the playoffs.

Wade Miley, LHP, Astros

Signed to a one-year deal after posting a 2.57 ERA over 16 starts for the Brewers last season, Miley looked like the latest Astros success story in his first 27 starts (3.13 ERA, 1.20 WHIP). However, his season has gone off the rails since then, as he has allowed 18 earned runs on 25 hits and 10 walks in 11 innings spanning his past five starts. Now, there's a chance Miley won't even pitch in the playoffs. But if he's called upon, he'll have an opportunity to revitalize his value, especially if he can perform like he did in the postseason last year (1.23 ERA in four starts).

Jake Odorizzi, RHP, Twins

Off the field, Odorizzi has had an interesting career since he was selected 32nd overall by the Brewers in the 2008 MLB Draft, getting traded three times in deals that involved recognizable names such as Zack Greinke, Lorenzo Cain, Wade Davis, James Shields, Wil Myers, Alcides Escobar, Jeremy Jeffress and Mike Montgomery. But on the field, he was close to league average (102 ERA+) over his first seven seasons, which included zero postseason appearances. It's been a decidedly different story this year, with Odorizzi posting a personal-best 131 ERA+ and 19.0% K-BB%. Can the 29-year-old cap the breakout with a stellar playoff debut and head into free agency on a high note? The Twins may need him to, given José Berríos' second-half struggles.

Marcell Ozuna, OF, Cardinals

When the Cardinals traded for Ozuna prior to the 2018 season, they had to be hoping his 2017 campaign with the Marlins -- .312/.376/.548 (149 OPS+), 37 homers -- was going to be the new normal. Instead, it has proven to be an outlier, as he has recorded a 107 OPS+ in two years with the Redbirds, similar to the 104 mark he had from 2013-16. With an abundance of comparable corner outfielders set to hit the open market -- including Nicholas Castellanos, Yasiel Puig, Avisaíl García and Hunter Pence -- the 28-year-old Ozuna needs an impressive postseason to separate himself from the pack.

Drew Pomeranz, LHP, Brewers

After recording a 6.08 ERA for the Red Sox last season, Pomeranz didn't appear in the playoffs and later signed a one-year, $1.5 million deal with the Giants. It was more of the same in San Francisco, as least initially, with the left-hander posting a 6.10 ERA in his first 17 starts. However, a move to the bullpen in late July has worked wonders. Pomeranz was impressive enough in his first four relief appearances that the Giants were able to land the Brewers' No. 3 prospect, Mauricio Dubon, in exchange for Pomeranz and Ray Black on July 31, and the southpaw has continued to thrive as part of Milwaukee's relief corps. In fact, Pomeranz's 45.4 percent strikeout rate since July 22 -- his first relief appearance -- ranks third in all of baseball (min. 20 innings) in that time. While Pomeranz likely has caught the attention of front offices around the Majors already, he could boost his value even more if he keeps it up in October and the Brewers go deep into the postseason again.