Could the World Series’ Unlikeliest Hero Be the A’s Answer at Third Base?

How this Dodgers star could fill a glaring void for the A’s in 2026.

Nov 1, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Miguel Rojas (72) reacts after hitting a home run against the Toronto Blue Jays in the ninth inning for game seven of the 2025 MLB World Series at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images | Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

36-year-old Miguel Rojas just had the performance of his life for the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 7 of the World Series. From his game-tying home run with two strikes in the top of the ninth to his stabbing effort at second and throwing out the winning runner at home in the bottom of the inning, Rojas engraved his name into Dodgers history.

With that said, the veteran infielder now becomes a free agent and could be a viable piece for the Athletics, looking to fill a void at third base.

The A’s have not found a consistent third baseman since trading Matt Chapman to the Toronto Blue Jays following the 2021 season. Remember, the A’s received Gunnar Hoglund, Kevin Smith, Zach Logue and Kirby Snead–the latter three of which are out of the league.

It has been a revolving door at third base for the Athletics, with the likes of Vimael Machín, Jace Peterson, Abraham Toro, and Gio Urshela the starters at the hot corner in the years since Chapman’s departure.

In addition to Urshela, the A’s saw Max Muncy, Darrell Hernaiz, Max Schuemann and Luis Urias get reps at third base in the 2025 season, but there is still a problem–defensive acumen and offensive production.

Why Miguel Rojas?

Nov 1, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Miguel Rojas (72) throws to first baseman Freddie Freeman (5) for an out against Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Andres Gimenez (0) in the tenth inning during game seven of the 2025 MLB World Series at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

While Rojas is not an everyday third baseman, he can bring a sense of structure to the infield. In 2025, Rojas played 68 games at second base and 23 at third, but his range is what makes him such an intriguing piece.

His outs above average, a range-based metric of skill that shows how many outs a player has saved, according to the MLB Glossary, comes in at +6. That is among the 91st percentile in the league, and it ranks ninth among second basemen.

Rojas was a much better defender at second (+7) compared to at third base (-1), but he is at the very least serviceable at both spots, if not terrific.

	Batting Average	OBP	SLG	OPS
Miguel Rojas	.262	.318	.397	.715
Luis Urias	.230	.315	.338	.653
Max Muncy	.214	.259	.379	.638
Gio Urshela	.238	.287	.326	.613
Darrell Hernaiz	.231	.292	.306	.599
Max Schuemann	.197	.295	.273	.568

Offensively, Rojas is coming off a season where he batted .262 with 18 doubles, seven home runs and 27 runs batted in. That is just down from his season batting .283 with 36 RBI in 2024. He had an on-base plus slugging percentage of .715 this past season. This is higher than any A’s third baseman over the last season, and 62 points higher than Urias, who led A’s third basemen in that category.

Brett Harris also earned some time at the hot corner at the end of 2025, and he ended up batting .274 with a .349 OBP and a .692 OPS, albeit in 32 games played.

This is a crucial free agency period for the Athletics, who are looking to take the next step in 2026. If the A’s can piece together a few more veterans with the already young and talented core they have in Sacramento, the green and gold could witness vast improvements in the year to come.