Free-Agent Defections Will Alter Rosters Of Dodgers And Blue Jays

Prospective free agent Miguel Rojas of the Dodgers stuns the Blue Jays with a ninth-inning homer that ties World Series Game 7 in the ninth inning. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved

Without Miguel Rojas, the Los Angeles Dodgers would have flown home from Toronto unhappy.

The last-place hitter in the lineup, the light-hitting Rojas clobbered a solo home run in the top of the ninth to tie the seventh game of the World Series, then fired a bullet in the bottom half to nail prevent Isaiah Kiner-Falefa from scoring the winning run on an infield grounder.

Just one night earlier, Rojas also rode to the rescue in the last of the ninth: he scooped a low throw to second that completed a game-ending double-play for the Dodgers.

Unexpected Source

On a team that tops its lineup with three former Most Valuable Players, the little-known, little-used Rojas not only proved his value to the Dodgers but also to the 29 other teams – any of which could sign him as a free agent.

The 36-year-old middle infielder is one of five potential free agents who could take their World Series rings and head for greener pastures.

Also eligible to walk away are outfielder Michael Conforto and relief pitchers Michael Kopech and Kirby Yates. Another pitcher, lifetime Dodger Clayton Kershaw, has already announced his desire to retire while the club options of third baseman Max Muncy ($10 million) and set-up reliever Alex Vesia ($3.6 million) are virtually certain to be renewed.

Of that group, Rojas was in the right spot at the right time. After hitting .262 with seven home runs and 27 runs batted in over 114 games during the regular season, he had hit only .154 with two hits in 13 at-bats during post-season play. One of those hits was his no-doubt homer into the Southern California night as the clock struck midnight Saturday.

Often used as a defensive replacement, Rojas hit only two home runs after the July All-Star break. And he did not start any of the first five World Series games before Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who moves players like real-life chess pieces, deployed him at second base over Tommy Edman, the victim of a sore ankle. Edman started instead in center field.

Raise for Rojas

Paid $5.5 million by the Dodgers in 2025, Rojas wrote himself a significant raise with his World Series performance.

Kershaw’s last hurrah was a World Series relief appearance in which he worked one-third of an inning without yielding a hit or run. Fellow lefty Vesia was unavailable for the World Series because of a pressing personal matter but will surely be welcomed back.

Toronto faces bigger losses in the free agent market.

It could lose slugging shortstop Bo Bichette, first baseman Ty France, jack-of-all-trades Isiah Kiner-Falefa, reliever Seranthony Dominguez, and starting pitchers Max Scherzer, Shane Bieber, and Chris Bassitt. Scherzer and Bieber have four Cy Young Awards between them.

Bichette, still just 27, would be the biggest loss for the Jays. He not only batted .311, second only to Aaron Judge in the majors this season, but had the best batting average in the majors with men in scoring position (.381). Even though a knee injury suffered Sept. 6 knocked him out of the playoffs before the World Series, Bichette still led the Jays in hits (181) and runs batted in (94).

The son of former Colorado slugger Dante Bichette also proved his versatility in the final round, when he played several games at second base – a completely unfamiliar position – in an effort to protect his ailing knee.

Offense Over Defense

Because he’s a bat-first middle infielder, Bichette could wind up with a team willing to sacrifice his defense liabilities for his offensive prowess (the Yankees or Braves, for example). He could also serve as a DH on days when his knee starts barking.

He might not sign right away, however, because his demands for a contract rich in years and dollars might be hard to find – even in a market thin on shortstops. Bichette made $21 million in 2025, according to Spotrac.

Scherzer, 41, might be too old and too expensive for some teams even after proving his value in two starts – including Game 7 – against the Dodgers. He too has to prove healthy for any signing team to protect its investment.

Bassitt, pushing 37, might prove a better bet, though he’ll seek more than the $21 million the Jays paid him in 2025. Scherzer, by contrast, was paid $15.5 million and Bieber $13 million – though he could exercise a player option that would grant him a $3 million raise.

Just over 30 years old, Bieber showed gradual improvement in 2025 after returning from Tommy John elbow surgery. But he was the losing pitcher in World Series Game 7.

Dominguez, the same age, is a solid set-up reliever when he has both velocity and command of his arsenal. He’s certain to sign for more than the $3,625,000 he made in a season split between Toronto and Philadelphia.

After giving Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. a 14-year, $500 million extension last year, the Jays would love to keep at least some of their prospective free agent class. But that might not be possible.

Free agency officially begins five days after the World Series but November signings are rare because players and agents with multiple suitors like to surmise offers before signing. That’s especially true of those represented by California-based super-agent Scott Boras.

Suffice to say the rosters of both World Series teams will definitely be different next year.