The World Series is a time to celebrate the best teams in baseball duking it out for the ultimate prize. But just five days after it ends, a whole new ballgame begins.
Free agency is a magical period where everything seems possible, and there are some big names in this series who will likely be donning their current uniforms for the final time. Today, we’ll rank those names and predict where they’re headed next, possibly with shiny rings on their fingers.
Perhaps a major reason why the Blue Jays and Dodgers both made it to the World Series is that a lot of their top talents are locked into place long-term. That’s decidedly the case with the Dodgers, whose talent is harder to spot on this list.
There’s little reason to believe the Dodgers will decline their $10 million club option for Muncy, who put up a 136 OPS+ in his age-34 season. But he’d rank high on this list if he hit the open market, as there aren’t many position players available who topped his mark of 3.6 bWAR (and that only took him 100 games).
Jun 16, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Michael Kopech (45) delivers to the plate in the seventh inning against the San Diego Padres at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
We’ll lump these two together, because it’s anyone’s guess who will be more highly valued on the open market. Will it be the fireballing Kopech, who is much younger, but struggled with injuries this season? Or will it be Yates, who is only one year removed from an all-time season by a reliever in his late thirties, but fell off hard this year?
Let’s send both of these pitchers back to organizations they know well, both of whom could use a righty to support their bullpen.
Predicted landing spots: Kopech to Boston Red Sox, Yates to Texas Rangers
The reason Hernández is on this list at all can be found when clicking the “playoffs” tab on his Baseball Reference page. For whatever reason, the 33-year-old utility man has always brought his A-game to October, no matter how mediocre his regular season stats may be.
And for that reason alone, it seems unlikely he and the Dodgers will ever part ways again, because both recognize the value they bring to each other’s pursuit of a championship.
Predicted landing spot: Stays with Dodgers
Oct 20, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Chris Bassitt (40) throws in the eighth inning against the Seattle Mariners during game seven of the ALCS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images / Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
Bassitt is such a gamer. It’s impossible to overstate how impressive it was to see him deliver a clean eighth inning in Game 7 of the championship series, even though it was only his second outing since Sept. 18 (and first in a high-leverage spot).
Entering his age-37 season, Bassitt can still give a team 30-plus starts in a season, and might prove to be attainable for some of the teams who don’t typically spend hundreds of millions of dollars on starters because of his age and proximity to retirement.
Predicted landing spot: Cleveland Guardians
In his return from Tommy John surgery, Bieber has looked solid, but not dominant. It’s tough to say where that leaves his market value, and a good start or two in the World Series could go a long way.
But in general, a former Cy Young winner entering his age-31 season projects as at least a mid-rotation addition, and the big-market teams who miss out on some of the marquee names like Dylan Cease and Framber Valdez could be all over Bieber.
Predicted landing spot: Chicago Cubs
Sep 2, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette (11) at bat in the seventh inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images / Katie Stratman-Imagn Images
Bichette might stand to gain the most from this World Series, provided his knee is ready to go from the jump. If he plays a full series and racks up a bunch of hits, he could very well earn himself a few extra million in average annual value.
But the real question here is whether the Blue Jays will seek to broker a reunion, and this playoff run might be swaying them in the other direction. With Andrés Giménez and Ernie Clement ready to take over on the left side of Toronto’s infield, let’s send Bichette to an offense-needy team that could play him just about anywhere.
Predicted landing spot: Detroit Tigers
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