5 Dodgers whose futures depend on promising postseason performances

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.