triple a travel: Mailbag: Big postseason can lead to big payoff

Pujols, Fielder, Wilson among players who are poised to pump up value

Jeff Roberson / AP

Albert Pujols can be in line for an even bigger postseason if he leads the Cards to the World Series, NBCSports.com contributor Tony DeMarco writes.

BASEBALL EXPERT MAILBAG

By Tony DeMarco

NBCSports.com contributor

updated 7:16 p.m. ET Oct. 11, 2011

Tony DeMarco

Baseball Expert Tony DeMarco has been covering the big leagues since 1987, and been casting Hall of Fame ballots for the last 12 years. He answers questions weekly here:

Q: Do you believe that a player can help his future earnings with a single postseason performance? If so, what player do you think has helped himself the most during the playoffs?
? Mac Smith, New York

A: It happens regularly ? and often with disappointing results for the team that signs a free agent off an abnormally hot postseason.

Carlos Beltran is a poster boy for this. No doubt, he was heading for a big free-agent deal in the winter of 2004. But after he exploded in the playoffs for Houston ? .435 BA, 8 HRs, 14 RBIs, .536 OBP, 1.022 slugging pct. in 46 at-bats ? the Mets gave him $119 million over seven guaranteed years.

For their money, the Mets got one team playoff appearance, and from Beltran three highly productive seasons (2006-08), a couple of disappointing, injury-interrupted ones, and a solid half-season-plus before sending him to San Francisco.

In this postseason field, there is no shortage of high-profile free-agent-to-be candidates: Albert Pujols, Prince Fielder, C.J. Wilson, Jose Valverde, Francisco Rodriguez.

In terms of pure dollars, Pujols and Fielder have the most to potentially gain. Make no mistake, both are going to get huge deals, given their regular-season numbers. But leading their team to the World Series could be the convincing factor in Pujols' or Fielder's getting a couple of additional guaranteed seasons tacked onto new deals, which in their cases, could earn another $40 million or so.

Pujols ? despite being 31 ? probably will land that nine- or 10-year, $200 million-plus deal he's seeking. And questions about Fielder's weight have softened enough to where I can see him landing something similar to Adrian Gonzalez's seven-year, $154 million deal with Boston.

Barring a postseason collapse, Wilson is in line for a mega-deal as the top free-agent starting pitcher on the market ? always a most-coveted item due to lack of supply.

More likely is Wilson's winning another start or two on the way to a Rangers' world championship, and his landing a deal commensurate of an elite-level ace ? which in reality, he falls a bit short of, in my opinion.

For my money, there are more red flags with Valverde, whose postseason has been rocky. He's 33 and in poor physical condition. He's coming off a career year in terms of results, and off his most-heavily used season in terms of appearances and innings. I'd say buyer beware here, especially on any deal more than three years.

Rodriguez will get another opportunity to be a closer; he's only 29, and clearly capable of filling the role. The question will be contract length.

Q: Do you think it would be wise for Ron Washington to start Alexi Ogando in a game because he has done so well this postseason?
? Bob Tyndall, Arlington, Texas

A: No, I don't. I like Ogando right where he is. I think moving him to a late-inning role has made the Rangers' bullpen truly dominant, and that's what separates them from the other three teams left in these playoffs.

They just keep bringing in quality guys with closer-type stuff out of the pen, and they've totally shut down the Yankees and Tigers so far. I don't see that changing much through the World Series, which I believe the Rangers will win.

One thing I wouldn't mind seeing change is Washington's leaving Ogando in a bit longer ? rather than pull him in a situational left-hander scenario that calls for Mike Gonzalez. I don't see left-handed hitters getting many good swings off Ogando lately, so why not leave him in?

One more thing: From a practical standpoint, it would be very difficult for him to transition back to the rotation at this point. You couldn't expect him to go more than five innings in a start, given that he's been in the bullpen for almost a month now. Then you'd need your bullpen for four innings, and Ogando wouldn't be in that mix any longer.

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