A Handful of TCDB Trades

TCDB has become my primary method of acquiring cards these days.  I still buy stuff on Ebay occasionally, primarily to grab cards I really want, such as Ceddanne Rafaela cards, relics and autos that I can't track down easily otherwise.  

And so, here are a bunch of trades I made recently. 

1.  Connor Wong.  Yes, I still add Wong cards when I can.  He was having a decent enough year that the Red Sox kept him around when they acquired Adley Rutschman, but he is having a deep slump and Mickey Gasper has turned out to be a hell of a hitter recently.  So, Wong's playing time has decreased.  I think there is a good chance he does not return next year.  That's sad.

2.  Masataka Yoshida.  Yoshida had been having a nice season before an injury put him on the shelf.  He has a year left on his contract, but I could see Boston cutting bait with him next year as well.

3.  Michael Wacha.  Wacha had a great year in his sole season with the Red Sox, going 11-2 with a 3.32 ERA.  He has turned that into a pretty good second half of his career, continuing to have impressive seasons with the Padres and Royals since then.

4.  Quinn Priester.  Priester was acquired in a deadline deal with the Pirates for Nick Yorke back in 2024.  He was then traded to the Brewers before the 2025 season, who promptly turned him into a pretty good starter.  He has been injured all year this year though.

5.  Justin Slaten.  Slaten has been a real find.  Like Garrett Whitlock, he was acquired in the Rule V Draft.  He has been injured for awhile this year, but other than having some rough outings, he has been pretty good.  

6.  Garrett Crochet.  Crochet is getting close to coming back this year.  Hopefully he can make an impact in the postseason.

7.  Nick Sogard.  Sogard has become the primary second-baseman down the stretch.  He has an excellent eye at the plate and has shown some surprising power at times.  He has been good enough that he has even hit leadoff at times.

8.  Jarren Duran.  Duran is one stolen base away from his second 20/20 season.  Despite that, his hitting metrics are mostly terrible.  He is another player I could see Boston moving on from next season, but he has definitely had some great times in Boston.

9.  Garrett Crochet.

10.  Wilyer Abreu.  Since Rafaela's injury, Abreu has turned into the Red Sox's best player.  He recently eclipsed the 6 WAR mark for the season.  Assuming he doesn't slump late, that is a damn good player.

11.  Ceddanne Rafaela.  Hopefully he will come back strong from his injury and be ready to lock in for the postseason.  He should win his second Gold Glove at any rate.

1.  Alex Bregman.  Bregman has been on a tear lately for the Cubs.  I am still not that worked up that he did not return to the Red Sox though.  He had a good year, and likely would have been even better had injuries not caused issues.

2.  Marcelo Mayer.  Mayer's inability to stay healthy is one of the reasons the Red Sox traded him.  He has yet to return to action and has been out since June 20.

3.  Jhostynxon Garcia.  Garcia was a big prospect for the Red Sox, but was traded due to the outfield logjam.  He has not shown much in his first year in the Pirates organization this year though.

4.  Jim Rice.  Rice made the Hall of Fame his final year on the writer's ballot.  His outfield teammate Dwight Evans should make the Hall of Fame some day.

5.  Carlos Narvaez.  I don't know what happened to Narvaez this year.  Last year he looked like one of the best catchers in the league.  This year he never got going.  He was part of the package sent to the Orioles for Rutschman.

This was just a one-card trade for a nice Marcelo Mayer insert.  These cards were based on a design from the 1980's oddball box sets.

1.  Isaiah Campbell.  I really thought Campbell was going to be a nice bullpen addition.  He was mostly terrible during his stint with the Red Sox though.

2.  Roger Clemens.  I am not sure what it is going to take to get Clemens into the Hall of Fame at this point.  The fact that he and Bonds are not in for things that a lot of players were doing at the time is an absolute travesty.  Clemens is one of the greatest pitchers in the game.

3.  David Ortiz.  Ortiz is probably the greatest designated hitter of all time.  I was slightly shocked he was elected his first year on the ballot, but I am glad he was.  To me, it was a pretty easy choice.

4.  Jack Lopez.  Lopez made it into a handful of games with the Red Sox in 2021, primarily when the team was dealing with a COVID outbreak.  He didn't hit much.  He made it back to the Majors with the Angels in 2024 and did a bit better, but he hasn't been back since.

5.  Marcus Phillips.  Phillips was one of my favorite draft picks by the Red Sox in 2025.  He was selected 33rd overall, in the first round, out of Iowa Western College in Council Bluffs, Iowa, just a few miles east of Omaha, Nebraska.  He is originally from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, just about two and a half hours from where I currently live.  He has had a bit of a rough start to his career this year, but I really hope he makes it.

6.  Kyson Witherspoon.  Witherspoon was another player in the package sent to the Orioles for Rutschman.  I was disappointed that he was traded after he was Boston's top draft pick last year, but he is not the one that hurts the most.  That would be Anthony Eyanson.

7.  Roman Anthony.  Anthony hit the ground running when he returned to the Red Sox from injury.  He slumped a bit after awhile, but seems to have gotten going again.  Strikeouts will probably always be a part of his game, but he is an incredibly talented hitter.

8.  Jason Varitek.  I love that Panini has been including Jason Varitek cards in their sets lately.  I need to start grabbing them again.  

9.  Payton Tolle.  Tolle has been a lot of fun to watch this year.  He has been one of the team's best pitchers and has a lot of potential to be one of the best pitchers in the league.  

10.  Jason Varitek.  Here is another parallel of Varitek.

11.  Franklin Arias.  I really hoped the Red Sox would call him up to take over at shortstop.  That may have to wait until next season.

Topps Now: May 18, 2026

 

I do not think I have made much of a secret about not liking Aroldis Chapman prior to him signing with the Red Sox.  Maybe not on this blog, but certainly in personal conversations I have had with people.  Chapman was suspended by Major League Baseball for violating the domestic abuse policies back in 2016.  As a defense attorney, I understand these things are often not black and white, so I do tend to be a little more open-minded about these kinds of things, and it is my understanding that no criminal charges were ever pursued, but it's still kind of concerning.  Plus, he was a Yankee.  

Nevertheless, over the two seasons he has been in Boston, he has impressed me with his apparent work ethic and there have not been any issues off the field.  Chapman has certainly put together a potential Hall of Fame career.  His two seasons in Boston have elevated that possibility as he has hit several career landmarks.  This card celebrates one of those landmarks.  Chapman moved into the top ten all time in saves.  He has since made it up to 400 career saves, which means he is now ninth all-time.  He has also broken the all-time career strikeouts record for a reliever. 

45 New Cards

Today's trade from TCDB contained 45 new Red Sox cards, and a lot of thoughts. 

1.  Roman Anthony.  Anthony finally made his return to the Red Sox lineup on Sunday and has returned to the form that he showed last season, rather than the slow start he was going through at the beginning of this season.  It will be massively helpful to have his bat back in the lineup, particularly if he is going to produce the way he has.

2.  Franklin Arias.  That didn't take long to add a relic of Arias.  It's not often I get a relic of a player before they even play in the Majors.

3.  Mickey Hall.  Hall was the Red Sox second round pick in the 2003 draft out of high school.  Unfortunately, he never made it to the Majors.

4.  Johnny Damon.  I was looking at 20/20 players recently.  Damon did it as a member of the Yankees, but not with the Red Sox.  The closest he came was in 2004 when he hit 20 home runs, but stole 19 bases.  

5.  Shea Hillenbrand.  Hillenbrand is one of the more random players to be an All Star twice.  He was an All Star with the Red Sox in 2002 when he hit .293/.330/.459 with 18 homers and 83 RBIs and then in 2005 with the Blue Jays.

6.  Keith Foulke.  Foulke had an argument to be the World Series MVP in 2004 when he appeared in all four games, saving one and winning one while striking out eight batters in five innings.  He had a 1.80 ERA.

7.  Roger Clemens.  Clemens was the second of five Red Sox to win the All Star Game MVP in 1986.  That game, he started and pitched three perfect innings, striking out two and getting the win.  There must have been different rules for determining the winning pitcher.

8.  Xander Bogaerts.  The closest Bogaerts came to MVP was fifth in voting in 2019.  That year, he hit .309/.384/.555 with 190 hits, 52 doubles, 33 home runs and 117 RBIs.  It was by far his greatest offensive season.  He won the Silver Slugger and was an All Star.  

9.  Roger Clemens.

10.  Jim Rice.  Rice was probably the first player I remember arguing passionately about for the Hall of Fame.  He took until his 15th year on the ballot to get elected.  He was the third player to wear a Red Sox cap on his plaque since I started watching baseball.  I just missed Carl Yazstrzemski, so the first one was Carlton Fisk in 2000 and then Wade Boggs in 2005.  

11.  Tony Perez.  Perez was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2000, the same year as Carlton Fisk, meaning we had a player from each side of the legendary 1975 World Series elected at the same time.  Which is really cool, but also not the first time that that specific thing happened.  In 1989, both Carl Yastrzemski and Johnny Bench were elected at the same time.

12.  Terry Francona.  One of these years Francona will get elected to the Hall of Fame.  But he has to retire first.  Since he's currently managing the Reds, it won't be real soon.

13.  Jim Rice.

14.  Franklin Arias.

15.  Terry Francona.

16.  Juan Valera.  With the trade of Anthony Eyanson and Kyson Witherspoon, Valera has become Boston's top pitching prospect.  He is still in A-ball though, so he is a ways away.

17.  Yordanny Monegro.  Monegro has had difficulty staying on the field.  He has been a top prospect in the past, but his stock has fallen greatly due to injuries.  Hopefully he can repair his position.

18.  Jedixson Paez.  Paez was taken by the White Sox in the Rule V Draft coming into this season.  I remember a White Sox fan getting pissed at me for speculating that it was likely he would be returned to Boston.  I was right as Paez was not close to ready for the Majors after appearing in three disastrous games.  Tonight, he made his debut in Boston, and showed he is still not close to ready.

19.  Lucas Giolito.  Giolito had a nice season for the Red Sox in 2025 after missing the entire 2024 season due to injury.  I thought he should have been given a chance to come back, but Boston went with Sonny Gray and Ranger Suarez instead, which has worked out fine.  Giolito has struggled this season.

20.  Roman Anthony.

21.  Roman Anthony.

22.  Kristian Campbell/Marcelo Mayer.  Here we have two players who were expected to be a big part of the next core for the Red Sox.  A lot has changed.  Campbell seems stuck in the minors, though he has been playing much better lately, and Mayer was traded away.  

23.  Aneudis Mateo.  I remember getting a bunch of cards of Mateo in 2003.  He never made the Majors.  I think he was one of the players who turned out to be older than he claimed at some point.  

24.  Richard Fitts.  Fitts was acquired in the trade with the Yankees that sent Alex Verdugo to New York.  He was then traded away in the deal that brought Sonny Gray to Boston.  In the middle, he had some decent performances, going 2-5 with a 3.97 ERA in 15 games.  He has yet to appear with the Cardinals.

25.  Zach Penrod.  Penrod pitched in just seven games with the Red Sox in 2024, but had a 2.25 ERA.  I am not really sure why he never made it back to the Majors.

26.  Alex Bregman.  I promise I still have a One-Year Wonder post coming for Bregman.  He is one of the better ones, but it won't be enough to unseat Adrian Beltre.

27.  David Hamilton.  Hamilton started the year off hot for the Brewers after being involved in the deal that brought Caleb Durbin to Boston.  He has cooled off, but is still a valuable bench player, especially with his speed.  He stole 34 bases for the Red Sox in 2024.

28.  Cy Young.  The namesake of the pitching award, Young pitched the first no-hitter in Red Sox history, and still the only perfect game in Red Sox history.  

29.  David Ortiz.  This card actually celebrates the 2004 ALCS.  I thought this set was just for World Series victories, so I was a little surprised by this.  

30.  Alex Bregman.

31.  Ceddanne Rafaela.  It's always fun when a Rafaela card sneaks into a big trade package.

32.  Walker Buehler.  I really had high hopes for Buehler when he came to Boston.  After his 2024 World Series performance, I thought he would be a good mid-rotation starter.  He was terrible in Boston though.

33.  Jarren Duran.  Duran could become a 20/20 man this season.  He is currently one home run and two stolen bases away.  The stolen bases SHOULD be easy to get.

34.  Romy Gonzalez.  After his great season in 2025, Gonzalez has been slowed by injuries all season.  He came back briefly, but struggled and is in the minors currently.  Hopefully he rebounds next season.

35.  Payton Tolle.  Tolle has pitched really well this year.  I don't know why he is getting no hype as a potential Rookie of the Year candidate.  I don't think he should win, but he should be mentioned more.

36.  Roger Clemens.

37.  Payton Tolle.

38.  Franklin Arias.

39.  Andruw Monasterio.  This is my first Monasterio card.  He was acquired in the deal with the Brewers along with Caleb Durbin and Anthony Seigler that sent Kyle Harrison, David Hamilton and Shane Drohan to Milwaukee.  Monasterio has had some big clutch hits this season.  He has been much better offensively than I thought he would, though he is prone to errors in the field, particularly at shortstop.

40.  Ranger Suarez.  This is my first Suarez card.  Suarez has struggled lately, but he was an All Star this season after signing a big free agent contract.  Injuries have taken a toll.  Hopefully he can right the ship soon.

41.  Garrett Crochet.  Crochet has missed a huge chunk of the season due to injury after finishing second in the Cy Young vote last year.  

42.  Jhostynxon Garcia.  Garcia was a big prospect, but with a crowded outfield, he was sent to Pittsburgh before the season for Johan Oviedo and Tyler Samaniego.

43.  Aroldis Chapman.  Chapman could be a Hall of Famer when all is said and done.  I think he will wear a Reds cap on his plaque, but if he pitches a couple more years in Boston and keeps up the way he has been pitching, it could make things interesting.

44.  Antonio Anderson.  Anderson was a third-round pick in the 2023 draft and was paid overslot.  He is 21 and in High-A, but he has been playing reasonably well.  Tough to say where he may go at this point.  I don't think it is likely he will make the Majors, but things could change.

45.  Justin Riemer.  Riemer was a fourth-round pick in the 2023 draft and was traded in December for Ryan Watson.

I Got a New Scanner

Now, my pictures of cards will be much clearer.  I don't have to take pics on my phone anymore.  I had an Office Space moment with my previous printer/fax/scanner.  Those that know what I am talking about, know.  It kept jamming.  Much like the printer in Office Space.  It had it coming. 

Is Ceddanne Rafaela the team MVP this year?  I think there is a very good argument that he is.  He leads the team in WAR, though it's been a lot closer lately with Wilyer Abreu.  He leads the league in doubles, and is among the top ten in average and hits.  He is playing his typical elite defense.  If he finishes strong, there is no doubt he is right up there.  I have not been getting as many of his cards lately (though this post would seem to argue otherwise) just because his stuff is in higher demand.

1.  Kevin Youkilis.  I love it when Panini thinks outside the box a little bit for player selection.  Youkilis was a very good player for several years, but he's pretty far removed from Hall of Fame-worthy.  It's a lot of fun to see him make it into a recent set though.  He was certainly a fan favorite.  He won a Gold Glove and was an All Star a few times, and he was in the top ten in MVP voting twice.

2.  Franklin Arias.  It's safe to say Arias is going to be getting a lot of cards soon.  Boston's top prospect hasn't made his Major League debut yet, but if his minor league play translates in the Majors, he is going to be exciting. 

And here are a bunch more Ceddanne Rafaela cards to round out the post.  

2001 Fleer Red Sox 100th

 

NAME: Boo Ferriss

POSITION: Starting Pitcher

WHY IS HE HERE? Ferriss was one of the two top pitchers on the team during the 1946 season in which the Red Sox steamrolled their way to the World Series.  His Major League debut was delayed a bit due to service in World War II, but he won 20+ games in each of this first two seasons and finished in the top ten in the MVP vote both years.  

WOULD I PUT HIM IN IN 2001?: Yes.

ANY BETTER CHOICES IN 2001?: Any of the better choices are already here.

WOULD I PUT HIM IN NOW?: Yes.

ANY BETTER CHOICES NOW?: Of course there are other pitchers that should be in, but Ferriss was a big part of the team at a certain point. In order to tell a full history of the team, he has to be in.  He was one of the aces of a team that went to the World Series and that means something.

The Worst Red Sox Team of All Time Pt. 38: Johnny Watwood

Failure is often even more fascinating than success. I am definitely intrigued by the 1932 Boston Red Sox, the worst Red Sox team of all time. The team finished with a record of 43-111, for a winning percentage of .279 and very little went right.

Watwood had a couple good years with the White Sox in the early 1930's, including hitting .302 in 1930.  He played a variety of positions, including first base and center field.  He started the 1932 season still with the White Sox, but after playing 13 games, he was sent to the Red Sox as part of the trade that brought Smead Jolley to Boston.  The full details were Watwood, Jolley, Bennie Tate and $75,000.00 to the Red Sox for Charlie Berry and Jack Rothrock.  Watwood finished the 1932 season with the Red Sox.

Unfortunately for Boston, Watwood was not very good in 1932.  After a couple of seasons of decent hitting lines, he hit just .248/.301/.289.  He also had a power outage, not homering and contributing just eleven doubles.  He stole seven bases and walked 20 times versus eleven strikeouts, but that was about the most positive thing about his season.  

Watwood played in only 13 games in 1933 and his numbers were awful.  In May, he was traded along with Marv Olson to the Yankees for Dusty Cooke, a deal that worked out much better for Boston.  Watwood never played for the Yankees and later appeared in a couple games with the Phillies in 1939 after several years in the minor leagues.    

Donruss Elite Blaster

A few days after my three-blaster purchase, I went back and the only thing available was Donruss Elite.  And so I grabbed one.  Chances were pretty low on this.  I think there were only 32-40 cards in the entire thing.  But, as with most Panini products, I tend to have decent luck. 

I said before I seem to be pulling a lot of Marcelo Mayer cards.  It's kind of annoying since he is no longer with the team, but I never turn down Red Sox cards.  Obviously.  This is the Green Disco parallel.  So, my one Red Sox card was not even a base card, it was a parallel.  I will definitely take that.