The 2025 World Series is set, as the defending champion Dodgers will face off with the Blue Jays in the Fall Classic.
Toronto finished the season as the top seed in the American League, but was taken to the brink of elimination in the ALCS by the Mariners. Down 3–2 in the series, the Blue Jays used home-field advantage to take the final two games and earn a trip to their first World Series since 1993.
On paper, the Dodgers are an overwhelming favorite. They are the defending champions and have four former MVPs, four legitimate aces and a $350 million payroll. But they don't play the game on paper. Here's a position-by-position breakdown of the two teams in the series. It's worth noting the Blue Jays have rotated their lineups based on matchups and we're not yet sure of how Bo Bichette will fit in, so this is our projection of how manager John Schneider will fill out the lineup card.
Catcher: Will Smith (Dodgers) vs. Alejandro Kirk (Blue Jays)
This one will surprise people, but the game isn't just played with the bat. Kirk is a phenomenal defensive catcher, and that ultimately gives him the advantage here. The veteran backstop had nine defensive runs saved in 2025, while his 22 fielding run value ranked second in baseball. Smith's FRV was -6. Smith is better on offense, but Kirk is no slouch in that regard.
In the playoffs, Kirk has produced a .752 OPS and blasted three home runs, while Smith is at .661 with no dingers. This is close and could easily be a push, but Kirk’s superior defense and current form gives him the edge.
Advantage: Blue Jays
First base: Freddie Freeman (Dodgers) vs. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Blue Jays)
Freddie Freeman is a nine-time All-Star, a two-time World Series champion, the reigning World Series MVP, has an NL MVP trophy in his case and is having a great 2025 campaign. If this were solely about the regular season, Freeman might have the edge.
That’s about as close as it gets—but that hasn’t been the case in the playoffs, where Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has been incredible. He's slashing .442/.510/.930 with six home runs, 12 RBIs and an absurd wRC+ of 280. Freeman has struggled a bit, slashing .231/.333/.410 with one home run, one RBI and a pedestrian wRC+ of 105. Guerrero has had an all-time great postseason and has to get the nod here.
Advantage: Blue Jays
Second base: Tommy Edman (Dodgers) vs. Isiah Kiner-Falefa (Blue Jays)
This is another close one that is going to be tipped by postseason performance. Tommy Edman was a shrewd pickup by the Dodgers before the 2024 trade deadline, winning the NLCS MVP award, but he had a relatively poor regular season in 2025. Isiah Kiner-Falefa, however, was even worse while splitting time between the Pirates and Blue Jays.
Edman has again turned his game up in that time, slashing .286/.306/.486 with two home runs and a wRC+ of 118. Kiner-Falefa, meanwhile, has been even worse with a 54 wRC+. Both are premier defenders, which is their real value, but Edman has shown he can swing a better bat in the playoffs.
Advantage: Dodgers
Shortstop: Mookie Betts (Dodgers) vs. Andrés Giménez (Blue Jays)
Mookie Betts has had the worst season of his career, slashing .258/.326/.406 with career lows in wRC+ (104), wOBA (.318), and fWAR for a full season (3.4). But, unlike his counterpart, he's Mookie Betts.
We're projecting Andrés Giménez to stick at shortstop for Toronto despite Bo Bichette’s expected return to the lineup after suffering a knee injury last month. Giménez is an outstanding defender at short, but has never had much with the bat. In 2025, he slashed .210/.285/.313 with a wRC+ of 70. He has turned things up in the postseason, but Betts has improved as well.
Betts is an eight-time All-Star and has won three World Series, an MVP and seven Silver Sluggers. He also showed this season he can play elite defense at shortstop. There's no question which team wins this matchup.
Advantage: Dodgers
Third Base: Max Muncy (Dodgers) vs. Ernie Clement/Addison Barger (Blue Jays)
We know who Max Muncy is at this point in his career. He's going to get walks, slug a lot, and strike out at a decent clip. He's also going to be a minus on defense and be banged up most of the time. In 2025, all of those things came true. He played in 100 games, slashed .243/.376/.470, with 19 home runs and a wRC+ of 137. He has fallen off a bit in the postseason, as his batting average has dropped to .214, and he's only slugging .357 with a 115 wRC+.
Ernie Clement is a phenomenal defender at the hot corner who didn't hit much during the regular season, but he’s come alive in October. During the regular season, he slashed a weak .277/.313/.398, with a below-averaged wRC+ of 98. In 11 postseason games he's been a different guy. So far, he's hitting .429, with an on-base percentage of .444, and is slugging .619, with an incredible 195 wRC+.
Addison Barger has also picked up his game in the playoffs, with a 149 wRC+ against 107 during the regular season. We're gonna roll with the guys who are rolling.
Advantage: Blue Jays
Left field: Kike Hernández (Dodgers) vs. Davis Schneider/Nathan Lukes (Blue Jays)
It has been yet another year in which Kiké Hernández has conjured the magic that turns him into a postseason superstar. The career utility guy has been huge for the Dodgers again during the playoffs, playing far above his career regular-season numbers.
In 10 playoff games this year, Hernández is slashing .306/.375/.417 with a 125 wRC+ after going .203/.255/.366 with a 70 wRC+ during the regular season. He has a career .707 regular season OPS, but in 96 games spanning 10 trips to the postseason, he's at .863. The man plays his best when the lights shine the brightest.
Schneider and Lukes are solid, but can't match the magic their counterpart produces. Lukes has had a nice postseason, hitting .333, with a .381 on-base percentage and a 125 wRC+, but he and Schneider simply can't match the Kiké magic.
Advantage: Dodgers
Center field: Andy Pages (Dodgers) vs. Daulton Varsho (Blue Jays)
Pages had a breakout 2025 campaign, looking like a future cornerstone for the Dodgers. Unfortunately, he has utterly disappeared in the postseason. The 24-year-old hit 27 home runs while notching a wRC+ of 113 in the regular season, but the playoffs have been a nightmare. In 10 games, he's slashing .086/.135/.114 with a wRC+ of -31. You read that last number right. The thing is, he's so good defensively that the Dodgers can't take him out of the lineup.
Varsho is also a stellar defender who turned in a career-best season, hitting 20 home runs and slugging a career-best .548, with a career high 123 wRC+. The difference is he has brought that success with him to October, slashing .273/.304/.500 with a wRC+ of 121. Pages has disappeared while Varsho has continued to be a steady presence in the lineup.
Advantage: Blue Jays
Right Field: Teoscar Hernández (Dodgers) vs. George Springer (Blue Jays)
George Springer had arguably the best season of his career in 2025 at 36 years old, and has also been incredibly clutch for the Blue Jays. Which was basically Teoscar Hernández's story in 2024.
Springer had a career-high wRC+ of 166 while Hernández fell off after signing a three-year, $66 million deal with Los Angeles in the offseason. His wRC+ dropped to 102 from the mark of 132 he hit in 2024, and his wOBA fell to .315 from .360.
Hernández has picked things up in the postseason, though, which makes this call more difficult. He’s slashing .268/.302/.585 with four home runs and 11 RBIs in the postseason, and his wRC+ has jumped to 142. Springer has matched him, slashing .239/.321/.690 with four homers, nine RBIs, and a 150 wRC+. Both players have won titles before, but Springer was named World Series MVP for the Astros in 2017. He's had the better season and has history on his side.
Advantage: Blue Jays
Designated hitter: Shohei Ohtani (Dodgers) vs. Bo Bichette (Blue Jays)
Come on, really? I have to write this one out? Fine, if you insist.
Ohtani is the most singular player in the history of baseball. I could put up a bunch of numbers here to prove that, but it would be a waste of everyone's time. I mean, the guy just turned in arguably the greatest playoff performance in sports history during Game 4 of the NLCS.
Bichette had a phenomenal season, and his return should be a huge bonus for the Blue Jays, but nothing can match what Shohei can do.
Advantage: Dodgers
Starting rotation
The Blue Jays have some names in their rotation, but this one isn't even close. I mean, Shohei Ohtani is L.A.'s fourth starter. That's wild.
In 10 games this postseason, the Dodgers' rotation is a combined 7–1 with a 1.40 ERA, 0.75 WHIP and 81 strikeouts. Those numbers all lead postseason rankings. Blake Snell has been phenomenal, going 3–0 with a 0.86 ERA and 0.52 WHIP, while Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow have combined to go 2–1 with a 1.36 ERA. Ohtani has pitched twice, both victories, and in Game 4 of the NLCS, he pitched six shutout innings, allowing two hits and two walks while striking out 10. L.A.'s rotation struggled with injuries all season, but now it's whole and dominating.
Toronto's starters have been really good in the postseason as well. They're a combined 5–2 with a 3.33 ERA and 1.17 WHIP. Kevin Gausman has led the way in his three starts, going 2–1 with a 2.00 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP. Meanwhile, Shane Bieber and rookie Trey Yesavage have made big starts. Max Scherzer also turned in a huge performance in Game 4 of the ALCS. The 41-year-old turned back the clock, allowing two runs on three hits in 5 2/3 innings in a key spot.
While the Blue Jays have shown up and pitched well, the Dodgers have dominated. More than anything, their starting pitching is the biggest advantage in this series.
Advantage: Dodgers
Bullpen
This has been a weak spot for both teams all season. During the regular season, the Blue Jays ranked 16th in bullpen ERA (3.98), while the Dodgers were 21st (4.27). Things haven't been much better in the playoffs as L.A.'s pen has posted a 4.88 ERA and a 1.66 WHIP, and Toronto's group has a 5.52 ERA and a 1.49 WHIP. It's been ugly on both sides.
While the Dodgers don't have a shutdown bullpen, Roki Sasaki has managed to solidify the back end. In seven postseason appearances, the rookie has a 1.13 ERA and 0.63 WHIP to go along with three saves. Alex Vesia has also been reliable, while Blake Treinen and Emmet Sheehan haven't been. The one thing L.A. has going for it is that its bullpen arms are fresh thanks to some dominant outings by the team's starters. Dodgers relievers have only thrown 27 2/3 innings this postseason as opposed to 45 2/3 for the Blue Jays.
Toronto got a great performance from its bullpen in Game 7 of the ALCS, but that has been the exception, not the rule. Closer Jeff Hoffman has logged two saves and posted a 1.23 ERA and 0.68 WHIP in six appearances, but seemingly everyone else has had at least one meltdown.
Months ago, this would have been flipped, but the Dodgers have the better of the shaky bullpens.
Advantage: Dodgers
Final Score: Dodgers, 6–5
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as World Series Position-by-Position Breakdown: Do Dodgers or Blue Jays Have the Edge?.