5 Dodgers whose futures depend on promising postseason performances

Amed Rosario

Friedman was labeled a god back in early August when he acquired Amed Rosario, who arrived in Los Angeles and burst onto the scene with three homers and 11 RBI in his first 11 games while playing sterling defense.

Then he went cold. His August somehow ended with a .197 average and .634 OPS after all that initial success, but in limited action during the month of September he upped those totals to .306 and .746. Much better!

Rosario has largely been a part-time player, and that will likely be his role in the postseason. Maybe his future isn't in LA because the Dodgers wouldn't exactly be upgrading by keeping him around ... but would he stay to be a platoon guy? Look at Jason Heyward and the wonders that's done for him. Rosario could be convinced if he enjoys success with whatever remaining games he has left with the Dodgers.

Then again, he probably views himself as a starting shortstop and wants to make that money when he hits free agency come November. Either way, he'll need to deliver for his future in LA or his payday elsewhere. After a down season at shortstop and a noticeable improvement with his play at second base, you just never know what he might consider.

Kiké Hernández

Another Dodgers fan favorite! Kiké lives for the postseason, as evidenced by his .269 average, .900 OPS, 26 runs scored, 13 homers and 27 RBI in 69 career October games. Teams will value that in every way imaginable come free agency, especially the Dodgers, who far too often have key players flame out when the stage is biggest.

Whether it's the Dodgers or another team, though, Hernández will be viewed through that lens this postseason. He's had back-to-back poor/underwhelming seasons and didn't have 2022 to shine in October. He really needs a few more patented clutch Kiké moments this time around to convince the Dodgers to retain him as a role player or coerce another team into utilizing him as a starter.

Hernández will get another crack at free agency entering his age-32 season, which will essentially represent his last and best chance at another lucrative multi-year contract (or a comfy future with the Dodgers, a team that has maximized his talents in superior fashion). These playoffs are all-important for him no matter how many reps he gets.

Lance Lynn

We're not sure what's going on with Lance Lynn's playoff role, but we sure do know whatever he does will need to be convincing if the Dodgers are to pick up his $18.5 million option for the 2024 season. Lynn's been both great and horrific for LA, and that mixed bag of results isn't going to guarantee him that much money, no matter how much flexibility Friedman has.

Dave Roberts says he views Lynn as a starter right now, and we'd most certainly agree. The Yankees tried to use him as a reliever in the postseason a few years back and, well, you don't want to know the results. The baseball world has seen Lynn at his best, and it's when he's in the rotation.

Also, to justify that salary, he'll need to be starting games. Gone are the days smart teams invest huge salaries in closers or high-leverage relievers. If his option is picked up in 2024, it's because he'll be a member of the rotation for the duration of the season.

But there's little room for error. One patented blowup outing kickstarted by a barrage of home runs, and Lynn is toast. Three quality outings in the NLDS and NLCS, though? That redefines his future, and will likely keep him on the best team of the last decade for one more year.

And even if the Dodgers pass and opt to go for bigger and better pitchers and decline his option, Lynn will need to position himself for another year on the open market.

Clayton Kershaw

Clayton Kershaw simply hasn't proven himself since he's arrived in MLB and needs a successful postseason run to justify his next contract. KIDDING!

But Kershaw did say his future in baseball hinges on the health of his left shoulder. And he told everyone this past offseason he almost decided to sign with the Texas Rangers to be closer to home. Health and individual performance seem to hold a lot of weight here.

Kershaw continues to remain cryptic about his future despite the fact he's starting Game 1 of the NLDS while not 100% healthy. He's also 56 strikeouts shy of 3,000. He can't possibly retire or achieve that milestone in another uniform, can he?

Unless the whole game of cat and mouse with him and the Rangers has been fake all along, Kershaw is probably coming back to the Dodgers for one more season to finish out a storied career. But we must err on the side of caution because of how guarded he's been, coupled with the fact he's dealing with yet another injury with his age-36 season on the horizon. Time and time again, he's reiterated the importance of team success over individual accolades, so we can't be etching his return in stone if he stumbles in October because of his shoulder problem.