The Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers will kick off the 2025 World Series this Friday, with the Dodgers travelling North of the border to begin the pivotal series.

While both fanbases may be rooting for their respective teams to win this series, two players have nothing to lose and everything to gain when it comes to the eventual champion.

Infielder Buddy Kennedy and pitcher Jose Urena suited up for the Blue Jays and Dodgers this season, meaning both players are eligible to receive World Series rings from the team that ends up winning it all. Teams that win the World Series determine who receives rings at the end of the day, and the norm is usually any player who contributed during the regular season for that respective team.

Kennedy started the year in the Philadelphia Phillies organization before being designated for assignment just before Opening Day. He would sign a minor league deal to return to the Phillies organization, and after a brief stint with the Phillies in mid-June, he once again found himself DFA’d this summer, eventually ending up in free agency.

The Blue Jays would sign him to a MiLB contract shortly after, and he would debut with Toronto on August 6th, appearing in two games for the American League champions. Across five at-bats, he collected one hit (a double) while striking out once.

The New Jersey product would be DFA’d by Toronto on August 12th, and the Dodgers would claim him on waivers shortly after. He would appear in seven games for the Dodgers down the stretch, collecting one hit and one RBI before he was DFA’d at the end of August. The Jays would re-sign him to a minor league deal on September 1st, and he finished the campaign with the Buffalo Bisons.

Jose Urena is in the same boat as Kennedy, having spent time with both organizations this season.

The right-hander signed a MiLB deal with the New York Mets this past winter, starting the year in Triple-A Syracuse before being recalled to the Major Leagues on April 27th. He appeared in one game before being DFA’d by New York, with the Jays signing him shortly after.

Urena would spend just under a month on the big league roster, appearing in six games (two starts) and putting forth a 3.65 ERA across 12 1/3 innings with a 1.22 WHIP. The Jays would DFA him on May 31st, and he would sign with the Dodgers days later, sticking in the big leagues for the following week. Los Angeles would use him for two relief appearances, where he allowed four hits, one earned run, and one walk through three innings before he was DFA’d once again. The Dominican product would spend time with the Minnesota Twins and Los Angeles Angels this year, with Urena eventually finding a spot on the Angels roster, where he made six appearances to end the campaign.

Because both players spent time on the Blue Jays and Dodgers active rosters, they are both eligible for World Series rings should each team decide they are worthy of the honour. It’s likely they both meet the criteria, even if the contributions were limited compared to those still on the roster today.