While the Dodgers and Blue Jays prepare to battle for baseball’s ultimate prize in the World Series, two players can already get themselves fitted for rings as they watch from afar.
No matter who wins this Fall Classic clash, infielder Buddy Kennedy and pitcher José Ureña will have some championship bling coming their way.
They have a time-honored baseball practice to thank for that: Anyone who spends part of a season with a World Series team typically gets a ring. Every so often, a player ends up in the unusual spot of having played for both of the World Series participants, thus ensuring them a ring regardless of the outcome.
It happened last year with Taylor Trammell, who played for the Yankees and Dodgers in 2024. Kennedy and Ureña now find themselves in the same boat, each having suited up for both the Dodgers and Blue Jays during the 2025 campaign.
With his status as a champion already secured, Kennedy had some fun on social media once the matchup was set, posting a graphic on his Instagram story featuring both pennant winners with a simple caption: “Go Team” — an idea that came from his fiancée, Claire.
“It’ll be a fun series for me,” Kennedy told The Athletic. “Because each game is, to me, meaningful in some way. I’m not there, but I was there. I added some little — very, very little — help.”
Kennedy actually made appearances for three teams in 2025, playing four games for the Phillies, two for the Blue Jays and seven for the Dodgers. After being designated for assignment by Los Angeles in late August — the fourth time he was DFA’d in 2025 — he elected free agency and rejoined the Blue Jays on a Minor League contract.
Ureña’s season was even more nomadic. The right-hander played for five clubs, making 19 total appearances for the Mets, Blue Jays, Dodgers, Twins and Angels. He was also DFA’d four times. It was a familiar experience for Ureña, who has played for 10 different teams since the beginning of 2021 after spending his first six seasons with the Marlins.
“It’s not fun, but at the end of the day, it’s business,” Ureña told The Athletic in September about the constant movement. “Every player, the next team they join, they want to be there. They want to be home. They want to be there until the last day. But the game sometimes doesn’t go the way you want.”
In the end, Ureña may not look back on 2025 fondly, but with a World Series ring coming his way, at least there’s a silver lining.
