The 2025 World Series is here, and the Los Angeles Dodgers are back in the Fall Classic for consecutive seasons. This time, they face the Toronto Blue Jays, who make their first World Series appearance since 1993.
The team to last make the Fall Classic in back-to-back seasons was the Houston Astros in 2021 and 2022. Houston lost to the Atlanta Braves in six games before claiming its second World Series championship the next season in a six-game series victory over the Philadelphia Phillies.
While it’s the Dodgers who have followed in the footsteps of those Astros teams, it’s the Blue Jays who now have several players and personnel from those Houston teams. Let’s take a look at each of them.
Several Astros Champions Now Have a Shot with Blue Jays in World Series
Astros Hero George Springer
Former Astros outfielder George Springer propelled his Blue Jays to their first American League pennant after 31 years, thanks to his clutch three-run homer in the seventh inning of Game 7 against the Seattle Mariners. It was one of the greatest moments in Blue Jays history. Springer now makes his third career World Series appearance, his first since the 2019 season with the Astros.
Toronto’s Greatest Hits
Joe Carter (1993) and George Springer (2025) pic.twitter.com/szOnOljzxp
— MLB (@MLB) October 21, 2025
Springer became an absolute fan favorite during his time in Houston from his 2014 debut until his last season in 2020. The 11th overall pick in 2011 from UConn, Springer was one of the first critical draft picks that Houston had during their rebuild. Springer, like he is now, was an elite home run hitter at the top of the lineup who anchored the outfield.
The 6-foot-1, 220-lb right fielder and designated hitter won the 2017 World Series MVP and a title with the Astros, which still draws criticism due to the sign-stealing scandal. Either way, he remains an amazing hitter when it matters most.
Springer’s career-high season was in 2019 with Houston, where he hit 39 homers with 96 RBI and a .974 OPS.
Myles Straw
Now a defensive specialist and pinch runner on the Blue Jays bench, Myles Straw played for the Astros from 2018 to 2021. The 2015 Astros draft pick debuted three seasons later. He played 56 games in 2019 before earning the starting center field job on Opening Day of 2021 for the Astros. Straw appeared in 98 games for the Astros in the outfield.
While he had just 34 RBI and two homers with a .665 OPS, he brought elite speed with 17 stolen bases and a reliable glove. Straw was then traded at the deadline to the Cleveland Guardians for pitcher Phil Maton and catcher Yainer Diaz.
Looking back, the trade still seems like a win for Houston. Maton played a critical role as one of the best bullpen arms for the 2021 American League Champions and pitched in 2022 when they won the World Series. Maton departed after the 2023 season. Diaz is now the Astros’ starting catcher and has shown promise.
Straw was traded to the Blue Jays in January 2025 for cash considerations and international signing bonus pool money. That deal was supposed to set the stage to sign Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki, but he eventually signed with the Dodgers. The Jays will now have to face him out of the bullpen.
Joey Loperfido
While he isn’t on the World Series roster, Joey Loperfido is a promising young outfielder. He was an Astros 2021 seventh-round draft pick out of Duke who made his big league debut in 2024. The 6-foot-2, 220-lb left fielder crushed it for the Triple-A Sugar Land Space Cowboys as their No. 6 prospect last year, hitting 13 homers and 33 RBI with a .933 OPS in 39 games before he earned a call-up.
While he cooled off at the major league level with just a .657 OPS in 38 games, Astros fans loved his energy and glove. Loperfido was traded from the Astros to Toronto at the deadline, alongside starting pitcher Jake Bloss and infield prospect Will Wagner, for standout pitcher Yusei Kikuchi.
The reactions to the trade remain mixed, as the Astros let go of two prospects and a promising outfielder for just close to three months of Kikuchi, who later signed with the Los Angeles Angels. However, Bloss is struggling mightily at the minor league level, and Wagner has since been traded to the San Diego Padres.
Loperfido has done well in 41 games for Toronto this year, with an .879 OPS and 32 hits.
James Click
The former Astros general manager from 2020-22 is now the vice president of baseball strategy for the Blue Jays, advising GM Ross Atkins. Click was hired in Jan. 2020 after the dismissal of former Astros GM Jeff Luhnow in the wake of the sign-stealing scandal.
The Astros won 106 games in 2022, the second-highest total in franchise history, and claimed their second World Series title. This was Click’s first championship as GM. After his contract expired that offseason, he and Astros owner Jim Crane never saw eye to eye. Click rejected the one-year contract offer, and both sides moved on. In February 2023, Click joined the Blue Jays in his current role.
The Astros enjoyed tremendous success under Click, reaching the ALCS all three seasons, including back-to-back World Series appearances. Houston won consecutive AL pennants, with a six-game series win over the Boston Red Sox and swept the New York Yankees in the following ALCS. Additionally, the Astros made it to Game 7 of the 2020 ALCS against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Click had a productive 2021 trade deadline where Houston acquired Maton and Diaz, plus Kendall Graveman, Rafael Montero, and Yimi García in July to fortify their bullpen. In 2022, the Astros made the big trade to get Trey Mancini, who made a game-saving play in Game 5 of the 2022 World Series. Click also traded for catcher Christian Vásquez, who was critical in Game 6 of the World Series, and relief pitcher Will Smith.
Main Photo Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
The post All the Former Astros in the World Series with the Blue Jays appeared first on Last Word On Baseball.