McAdam: In contemplating three of their own free agents, Red Sox must determine value of 'stepping up' in October

CARLSBAD, Calif. -- On the way to their recent World Series championship, the Red Sox got huge contributions from three somewhat unlikely sources: pitchers Nathan Eovaldi and Joe Kelly, as well as first baseman Steve Pearce.

Eovaldi performed brilliantly throughout October, appearing in six games -- including two starts -- and compiling a 1.61 ERA. His six-inning, 97-pitch relief appearance in Game 3 of the World Series was heroic.

Kelly, meanwhile, overcame an inconsistent regular season to toss six scoreless innings in the World Series and allowed just one earned run over 11.1 postseason innings. Pearce enjoyed two monster games in the World Series, with three homers and a bases-clearing double in Games 4 and 5 to capture the World Series MVP trophy.

As fate would have it, all three are now eligible for free agency, which surely represents good timing for them as they enter the market.

But it leaves unanswered a bigger question: how much more should the Red Sox -- or any other team, for that matter -- be willing to pay in free agency in recognition of the monster postseasons enjoyed by all three.

"I think it factors in,'' said Dave Dombrowski, when asked how teams value postseason performance. "The whole world sees you when you perform at the highest level, so I think it counts. How much everyone determines, I think it varies. I don't think they discount the regular season. But I think it comes into play - you're front-and-center. That's just the way it is.''

In the case of the three Red Sox free agents, each is somewhat different. Eovaldi, obtained in July from Tampa Bay, was finally healthy following a second Tommy John procedure and demonstrated his durability by pitching in any capacity -- and on short rest. Of the three, there's little doubt his stock has been boosted the most by his performance last month.

For Kelly, as dominant as he was, there will likely exist lingering questions about his overall consistency - unless some team becomes convinced that his new pitch mix has finally unlocked his potential. As for Pearce, it's doubtful that teams will view him altogether differently at the age of 35. He remains a good, solid role player, but one whose stature is enhanced by his recent ability to come through in the biggest games of the season.

"When you're in free agency, you're typically overpaying (to begin with),'' noted New York Yankees GM Brian Cashman. "It's hard to say, from a general standpoint. Obviously, players benefit from great performance and on the biggest stages, the more notoriety, the more opportunities (exist), I'm sure. Players are competing on a daily basis to make a name for themselves and if they're having a lot of success, on the biggest stage at the right time, (it helps).''

Cashman noted that Yankee adviser Reggie Jackson literally made a (nick)name for himself with his postseason heroics in the late 1970s. Some forty years later, Jackson is still known as "Mr. October.''

"He's 72 years old and we're still talking about Mr. October,'' said Cashman. "It has a long-term impact, and a short-term impact, as well, potentially in marketing yourself, whether it's as a free agent or off-field opportunities or what have you.''

Jed Hoyer, formerly the assistant GM with the Red Sox and now the GM of the Cubs, agrees that the question is sort of a never-ending debate among evaluators.

"We're trained to have skepticism (in viewing spikes in performance),'' said Hoyer. "It's a short burst and while it's obviously impressive that a guy can perform on the biggest stage. But at the same time, it's quick snapshot.''

Hoyer points to infielder Daniel Murphy, who enjoyed a terrific postseason run with the New York Mets in 2015, as someone who should have benefitted more from his October performance.

"The market treated him with some amount of skepticism, (asking) 'Was that real?' '' said Hoyer. "And the answer, in retrospect, was: Yeah. It ended up being a really good contract (three years, $37.5 million with the Washington Nationals before being traded, ironically, to the Cubs last August). He proved that the '15 playoff was not an aberration.

"So you have to ask yourself: Did this guy (just) have a really good October or is he making real adjustments (that portend well for the future)?''

Even if the jump in performance isn't necessarily permanent, teams can note that players aren't awestruck by the big moment or the pressure of the postseason.

"And just that has value,'' Hoyer noted, "and if you're expecting to play for championships, it's nice to have that on your roster.''

But in general, executives caution against overreacting to what could be viewed as small sample sizes.

"From a player's standpoint,'' said Cashman, "clearly the more notoriety you create (in the postseason), the more opportunities should open up for you. But from my standpoint, we've already got our assessments in place. We'll take all the information and react to it.''