Los Angeles Dodgers: Has Manny Machado both helped and hurt his free agency?

With a big free agency looming, could Manny Machado be both hurting and helping his market in the playoffs for the Los Angeles Dodgers thus far?

After hitting a huge home run that swung the momentum of the deciding game 4 between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves on Monday, it should be a time for Manny Machado to be preparing for an incredible contract to come this offseason. Instead, he could be both helping and hurting his free agent case.

Manny has notably said that he would prefer to play shortstop going forward, and while the regular season numbers bore out just how much better he was at third base than at shortstop, his play at short in the Braves series has been public and notable as it’s on a pedestal in the playoffs.

In game 1, Machado fielded a sharp ball from Ronald Acuna, Jr. and could not make the play, allowing Acuna to reach first place safely. Acuna hit the ball hard, but it was a play right at Machado, and one that most shortstops need to make.

In the deciding game 4, as the Braves were clinging to a 2-1 lead and had a rally going, with runners on 1st and 2nd with one out as Johan Camargo came to the plate. Camargo is one of the slowest base runners in baseball, so turning a double play to end the rally would have been fairly routine.

Instead, the ball went up Machado’s body as he had already turned his attention to his throw before securing the ball, and in the end, the bases were then loaded for the Braves with just one out, ending the game for starter Rich Hill.

Machado has also continued to struggle overall at the plate with the Dodgers in the postseason. He hit .176/.222/.588 over the series, with a 1/7 BB/K ratio even though the Braves allowed the most walks as a team in a divisional series in over 5 years.

However, Machado also was the guy with a microphone in his face at the end of the Los Angeles Dodgers win twice in the series. His 2-run home run to support Clayton Kershaw set the tone for game 2 of the series and seemed to allow Kershaw to then settle in and dominate the Braves.

Then in game 4, just after the Dodgers had taken the lead in the 6th inning 3-2, with the Braves known for their late-game hitting, Machado put the game away. Machado took a 1-2 pitch from Chad Sobotka and drove the ball to left field for a 3-run home run, giving the Los Angeles Dodgers a 6-2 lead, something that Braves couldn’t overcome.

What this means in free agency

Manny will be hitting the open market after finishing the season with a .273/.338/.487 line with the Los Angeles Dodgers after opening the season strong, with a .315/.387/.575 line and 24 home runs for the Orioles when he was traded. He did end up with his fourth straight 30-homer season, but that slide with the Dodgers cost him his first .300 season of his career.

Teams will be considering a contract that will last over 7 seasons with Machado, likely as many as 10 years. With an annual salary likely to exceed $30 million per season, teams will be considering a $250+ million investment in Machado.

While the clutch home runs are certainly helping his marketability for those clubs, his defense could be hurting his argument to remain at shortstop, and his overall offense could give teams question about just how big they want to make that overall contract.

So what do you think? Will Machado be able to use the rest of the Los Angeles Dodgers postseason to further his free agent market, or could it continue to be an up-and-down proposition for him? Comment below!