There are several impact players eligible for free agency this offseason who will be taking part in the postseason, including superstar designated hitter Kyle Schwarber and left-handed starter Ranger Suárez of the Phillies, third baseman Alex Bregman of the Red Sox and closer Robert Suarez of the Padres. All of them have established their free-agent value and how they perform in the playoffs will have very little impact on the contract offers they receive this winter, as long as they stay healthy.

There is another group of pending free agents, who, quite frankly, have a lot at stake this October and how they perform could have a significant impact on the type of offers they’ll be receiving. Let’s look at some of these free agents and discuss what they must prove to benefit their offseason contract negotiations.

(Note: If a player’s current contract includes an option, that is noted after their name.)

1. Michael King, RHP, San Diego Padres (mutual option for 2026)

King missed over three months of the regular season with both a nerve injury that affected the strength of his right shoulder and left knee inflammation. Last year, King was one of the best starting pitchers on the Padres, when he had a 2.95 ERA in 173 2/3 innings, allowing just 144 hits with 201 strikeouts. At the start of the year, it looked like he’d be one of the most sought-after free agents in the offseason.

He began the season pitching well, posting a 2.59 ERA through his first 10 starts, but then he landed on the IL and hasn’t been the same since then. He has a $15 million mutual option but is expected to decline his half to pursue a long-term deal. For him to get a multi-year contract with the type of numbers he was expecting last offseason, he’ll need to put together a dominant postseason to show teams that he’s both healthy and the same quality of starter that he was before the injuries hit.

2. Kyle Tucker, RF, Chicago Cubs

After the Mets signed right fielder Juan Soto to a $765 million pact in the offseason and the Blue Jays followed by handing first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. a $500 million deal in April, most MLB analysts — including me — believed that Tucker would get a contract worth somewhere between the deals for Guerrero and Soto. The argument that Tucker deserved such a hefty contract was that Tucker is a better defender than either Guerrero or Soto, and that he’s a complete player who could beat you with his glove, arm, speed, power and hit tool. He also had proven over the four previous seasons with Houston that he was a consistent 25- to 30-home run-and-stolen base talent with good on-base skills.

In his first season with the Cubs, he had another solid year. However, his season could have been even better if he hadn’t slumped in July when he hit just .218 with one home run. It was later revealed that he had a hairline fracture in his right hand that he suffered sliding into second base on June 1, an injury that wasn’t made public until late August. He then spent most of September on the injured list with a calf strain, and was just reinstated from the IL on Friday.

Due to his injuries, it’s going to be very important that he performs well in the postseason. We all saw last year how much Soto’s dominance in October improved his free-agent bidding war, and Tucker will get a chance to show that same superstar potential on the game’s biggest stage. How much he gets this offseason could come down to how well he produces in the playoffs.

3. Dylan Cease, RHP, San Diego Padres

Cease has struck out at least 214 batters in each of the last five seasons. Last year, he had a 3.47 ERA and 3.10 FIP. This year, he’s seen his ERA go up by more than a run and his FIP rise by half a run. He was the subject of trade talks at the deadline, but the Padres ultimately held onto him in his walk year. Over his seven-year career, he’s 65-58 with a 3.88 ERA and 3.67 FIP. In an admittedly small sample size, he has struggled in the postseason, allowing 11 runs and six walks over 7 2/3 innings stretched over three different series.

How he pitches this October will absolutely be a factor in how interested clubs assess his free agency. He’s already proven he’ll make at least 32 starts a year, as he has for five straight seasons, and that he’ll keep his team in most games. Now he needs to prove he can win the big games if he wants a deal that pays him like a top of the rotation starter.

Acquired for his defense, Grisham has been a surprisingly potent bat for the Yankees this season. (Daniel Bartel / Getty Images)4. Trent Grisham, OF, New York Yankees

Grisham has had the best season of his career, establishing career-bests in home runs (eclipsing the 30-homer plateau for the first time), RBIs, walks, OPS and OPS+, all while playing above-average defense in the outfield. However, the 28-year-old has a dismal career slash line of .218/.321/.400 and had never even hit 18 homers in a season before this year. So was this year a fluke, or a sign of things to come? A strong October against the league’s best pitching could translate into a huge deal for Grisham in free agency.

5. Shane Bieber, RHP, Toronto Blue Jays (player option)

Bieber has recovered nicely from Tommy John surgery and although his stuff is probably a tick down from when he was a perennial Cy Young candidate, he’s had a strong comeback season. Since being traded to the Blue Jays at the deadline, Bieber has made seven starts and yielded two runs or less in five of them. He’s also proven he can still work deep into games, getting into at least the sixth inning in all but one of his starts. He has a player option for $16 million with a $4 million buyout. If he pitches well in October, he’ll probably negate the player option and be able to land a significant multi-year deal.

6. Josh Naylor, 1B, Seattle Mariners

Last season, Naylor hit .243 with 31 homers and 108 RBIs while helping the Guardians reach the ALCS. He was traded in the offseason to the Diamondbacks after Cleveland realized they weren’t going to be able to sign him long-term. He produced for Arizona in the first half, batting .292 with 11 homers and 59 RBIs and was traded at the deadline to the Mariners. He’s been even better since the trade, playing a significant role in the Mariners’ ascension to the top of the AL West. He’s even turned himself into a threat on the bases, reaching the 20/20 plateau for the first time.

Naylor played in 19 postseason games over three seasons while with Cleveland, batting a respectable .256 with two homers and 11 RBIs. This offseason, there are plenty of teams that will be looking for a middle of the order bat at first base and Naylor will be the second-best first base option on the free agent board behind the Mets’ Pete Alonso. But while Alonso has been a household name for a while, Naylor has flown more under the radar nationally. A big postseason could change that and inch him a bit closer to Alonso in terms of perceived value.

Naylor left Friday night’s game early with groin tightness. Assuming he’s healthy, how Naylor hits this October will go a long way towards getting him the long-term contract and permanent home he desires.

7. Bo Bichette, SS, Toronto Blue Jays

After an uncharacteristically dismal 2024 campaign, Bichette has had a very important resurgent season for the Blue Jays, slashing an impressive .311/.357/.483 in 139 games. Despite missing most of September with a PCL strain in his left knee, he finished second in the league in hits and is among the league leaders in doubles. His strong play has brought his free-agent value all the way back from where it had fallen last year.

Bichette hasn’t played since Sept. 6, but the Jays are keeping their fingers crossed that he can return at some point during the playoffs, although as of Friday, he’d yet to resume his running progression. If he does return for the postseason, how his knee responds and how he looks defensively with his already below-average range to both sides will be important as teams scout him this October. A strong and healthy October would go a long way in helping him with his next contract.

(Top photos of King and Tucker: Sean M. Haffe, Geoff Stellfox / Getty Images)