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.

A Bunch of Trades

Just putting a few trades together in one post here. 

1.  Eduardo Rodriguez.  E-Rod is having a great year this year.  Unfortunately, it's for Arizona.  He was always one of my favorites.  I thought after his 19-win, 200+ strikeout season in 2019, he was finally going to break out, but he missed the 2020 COVID season and was good but not great in 2021 and 2022 before leaving as a free agent.

2.  Jeter Downs.  Downs was a casualty of the lost 2020 season.  Losing an entire year of development was brutal for him.  He was supposed to be the top prospect in the Mookie Betts trade.

3.  Masataka Yoshida.  Yoshida is quietly having a nice season.  He has one more year on his contract, which has largely been a miss.

4.  Garrett Crochet.  Crochet has been injured most of the season, but the team has survived with the emergence of Payton Tolle in particular, as well as great seasons from Sonny Gray and Ranger Suarez.

5.  Nomar Garciaparra.  I am very curious to see how Nomar does on an Eras Committee.  I think he is close to being eligible.  Maybe by the time the next Today's Game Era Committee meets again.  

1.  Triston Casas.  Casas hasn't played since early in 2025 and hasn't played a whole season since his rookie year in 2023.  It's a shame.  His power could really come in handy on this team.

2.  Pedro Martinez.  It's always fun to add another Martinez card.

3.  Cy Young.  I like it when card companies dip back into the turn of the 20th century for players.  I would love to see a company release a set with throwback designs and cover all players from this era.  Let's see Bill Dinneen, Buck Freeman, Chick Stahl, Jimmy Collins and other great Boston players from that era.

4.  Chris Sale.  I think it is safe to say that Sale is back on track for the Hall of Fame.  The question is which hat will he wear on his plaque?  He seems like a good one to have a blank cap because he has been great for three teams.  This card celebrates his strikeout of Manny Machado to win the 2018 World Series.

5.  Manny Ramirez.  Ramirez was the 2004 World Series MVP, the first Red Sox player to win the award.

6.  Kristian Campbell.  Campbell has been showing up a lot in my posts lately.

1.  John Valentin.  Valentin remains one of the most underrated players in Red Sox history.  He was never an All Star, though he did win a Silver Slugger.  He probably should have won a Gold Glove.  For Boston, he hit .281/.361/.460 with 121 home runs as an infielder.

2.  John Valentin.  Yep, two Valentin cards in one trade.

3.  Brian Rose.  Another reason to be skeptical of prospects.  There was a time when Brian Rose was Boston's top prospect.  He had a 5.86 ERA in his Major League career.

1.  Tanner Houck.  Houck is another player whose Major League career has been on hold for over a year.  He had Tommy John surgery last year.  He might be getting close to a return.  He was an All Star in 2024.

2.  Joe Wood.  Smoky Joe Wood has one of the greatest pitching seasons in Red Sox history in 1912 when he was 34-5 with a 1.91 ERA and 258 strikeouts in 344 innings pitched.  Unfortunately, arm injuries (most likely stemming from overuse) derailed his career.

3.  Josh Taylor.  Taylor was a great southpaw in the Red Sox bullpen in 2019 and 2021.  He was traded to the Royals for Adalberto Mondesi (Raul Mondesi's son), but the trade was a bust for both teams.  Taylor was terrible in Kansas City and Mondesi never played for the Red Sox due to injuries.

4.  Wade Boggs.  Boggs is obviously a first-ballot Hall of Famer, but he was actually kind of underrated.  Modern analytics would have identified him as one of the best players in the game, but because he played in the 1980's, his lack of power kept him out of that conversation.  He had an OPS of .890 during his time in Boston.

5.  David Ortiz.  An All Star card of Ortiz.  He was an All Star ten times.  All with the Red Sox.

6.  Payton Tolle.  I think I am going to be getting a lot of Tolle cards from now on.  I just really like him.  I'm definitely glad Boston kept him.  He has a lower floor, but a higher ceiling than Connelly Early.

7.  Jarren Duran.  I want Duran to succeed, but I do think it would be better for all parties if he is traded this offseason.  Boston could use the roster spot and Duran could use a fresh start.

Closing things out with a Ceddy mini.  

Three Blaster Break

A few weeks ago I managed to walk into my local Walmart apparently immediately after they stocked the trading cards.  There were quite a few brands to choose from.  Knowing that this was unlikely to last, I decided to grab three blasters, one from each of three sets.  And it was a shockingly decent result from each blaster.

Up first is Bowman: 

1.  Hector Ramos.  This is my first card of Ramos.  According to Sox Prospects, Ramos is Boston's 28th ranked prospect.  The middle infielder was an international free agent in 2025.  It may be awhile before we really start hearing much about him.  

2.  Justin Gonzales.  This is the big one from this.  First off, it's a Mojo Refractor, and secondly, Gonzales has become a big-time prospect.  He is now Boston's #2 prospect and he has prodigious power.  He is a massive human at 6'6" and 270 lbs.  Boston turned down requests for him in deals so he seems ticketed for the team soon.

3.  Nelly Taylor.  Taylor was an 11th-round pick for the Red Sox in 2023.  He is not rated at this time.  He is in Double-A at this time.

Up next is Topps Series 2:

1.  Wilyer Abreu.  Abreu seems headed on his way to a third Gold Glove Award.  His advanced defensive metrics have him far and away the best defensive right-fielder in the game.  Coupled with his 20+ homer power and Abreu is a seriously underrated player.

2.  Payton Tolle.  Tolle is quickly becoming one of my favorite players.  He recently had a 14-strikeout game.  I am not sure how he is not getting more support for the Rookie of the Year.  I know he is not going to win, but he has been a consistently good pitcher all year.

3.  Trevor Story.  This has been yet another lost season for Story.  He has not played since May and was struggling even then.

4.  Trevor Story/Jarren Duran.  Here are two players who were expected to be big parts of the offense and have not lived up to expectations.  As said, Story has been injured most of the season.  Duran is currently hitting .201.  He is on pace for a 20/20 season, but strikes out at an alarming rate and has a 72 OPS+.

5.  Kutter Crawford.  I'm not sure why Crawford even has a card in the set.  He has not pitched since 2024 until just recently when he made his first appearance on a rehab stint.  This spot could have been used for someone like Greg Weissert who has yet to have a card with the Red Sox or Patrick Sandoval who had been rehabbing and made it back a few weeks ago.

Last but not least is Donruss:

1.  Marcelo Mayer.  I pull a lot of Mayer cards.  Hopefully that will switch over to someone actually still on the team.  Mayer was traded to the Giants at the trading deadline for Erik Miller.

2.  Jason Varitek.  Holy crap, I pulled a Varitek card.  He remains my favorite player of all time.  This is card number 1,006.

3.  Kristian Campbell.  I also seem to pull a lot of Campbell cards.  He has been hitting a lot in Worcester lately.  I wonder if he could make it back to the Majors this year yet.  I also wonder where he will play going forward.  I could see Boston cutting ties with both Jarren Duran and Masataka Yoshida over the offseason, which would open up a potential spot for him as a roving outfielder/designated hitter.  

Stadium Club Trade

It's another trade post.  This one got me a few random Stadium Club singles. 

1.  Hirokazu Sawamura.  Sawamura was a valuable bullpen piece in 2021, but his struggles in 2022 led to his release.  This is my second autograph card of him.

2.  Eric Hosmer.  Ah yes, a Hosmer sighting.  Hosmer was acquired at the trading deadline in 2022 after turning down inclusion in the Juan Soto to the Padres deal.  Hosmer did very little in Boston, playing in 14 games and hitting .244/.320/.311.  The deal cost former first-round pick Jay Groome, who never made the Majors.

3.  Alex Bregman.  I will be doing a One Year Wonder post for Bregman some day.  He had a very good season in 2025.  The question is: was he better than Adrian Beltre's sole season in Boston.  I think the answer to that is pretty obvious, but I will still do a post about it.

Donruss Blaster Break

I have mentioned before my affinity for Panini brands.  The lack of a license is annoying, but I always do really well with Red Sox cards.  So, I jumped on the opportunity to grab a Donruss blaster.  I don't really understand how their agreement works anymore.  For a few years, iIt used to be they could not have cards of current Major Leaguers, they would do prospects and retired players.  Now, they seem to have some current Major Leagues in the sets, such as Aaron Judge.

1.  Roger Clemens.  One of these days, I still want to see Clemens make the Hall of Fame.  He was a first-round draft pick by the Red Sox.

2.  Carlton Fisk.  I learned something the other day.  I actually did not know that Fisk was a first-round draft pick and that he was the fourth overall pick.  I honestly thought he pre-dated the Draft.  That means Boston has drafted two players in the first round that made the Hall of Fame, along with Jim Rice.  If Clemens ever makes it, that would make three.

3.  Kristian Campbell.  Campbell has been playing much better in Worcester lately.  Perhaps he can make it back to the Majors some day yet.

4.  Payton Tolle.  Tolle has quickly become one of my favorite players.  He has been very good lately and has entered into the Rookie of the Year conversation, though I doubt he will win it.  Kevin McGonigle seems to have it locked up.

5.  Roman Anthony.  Hopefully Anthony will make it back for the stretch run.  Boston could use an offensive infusion.  

More Ceddannes and a Relic Trade

Time for another Ceddanne Rafaela update post. 

I grabbed these two off of Ebay.  I don't focus quite as much on Rafaela cards anymore, but every once in awhile, I will grab a bunch of lower-priced cards I need, just to pad the numbers.  I did seek out the team border parallel though after failing to land it in a trade.

Brayan Bello.  Here is a relic card I picked up in a trade.  It is my first relic of Brayan Bello.  Bello has had a strange year.  He has been horrible in the first inning in most of his starts.  So, Boston has been using him as a bulk reliever, and he has been terrific in that role.  It makes no sense, but here we are.

Topps put Rafaela in an insert set focused on great defensive players.  Rafaela of course won his first Gold Glove in 2025.  He looks to be well on his way to a second one this year.  

Topps Now: May 1, 2026

I have not done too many Topps Now cards this year yet.  For the first few months of the season, there was not much to be happy about.  

I admit I was kind of skeptical when Boston traded top pitching prospect Luis Perales to the Washington Nationals for Bennett.  But I figured the team knows more than I do.  And Bennett has been mostly great since coming up.  He made his Major League debut on May 1 against the Astros.  He pitched five innings for the win, giving up five hits and one run while walking two and striking out three.  The only run was a home run by Carlos Correa.

The Red Sox won the game 3-1 thanks to a three-run homer by Jarren Duran.  Roman Anthony had three hits as well.  Aroldis Chapman got the save.

First New Cards of a Couple Major New Red Sox (and a Bunch of Rafaelas)

I procrastinated too long on the Road to Opening Day sets.  Usually I figure they are going to be available right up until Opening Day.  That was not the case with the Red Sox set this year which sold out by the time I was going to buy it.  Presumably people were wanting to get the Roman Anthony cards which could be valuable cards if he lives up to his potential.  Unfortunately, that meant I had to try to find the singles on my own, and come to grips with the likelihood that I would not get the Anthony card.  I grabbed three of the singles from separate sellers.  All three will be in this post.

Willson Contreras.  Going into the offseason last year, it was clear Boston needed a big bat in their lineup.  I was hoping for Pete Alonso and was disappointed when Boston didn't really seem to engage with him.  I firmly believe he could have hit 50 home runs in Boston.  Instead, Boston acquired former catcher Contreras from the Cardinals in exchange for Yankee killer Hunter Dobbins and pitching prospects Yhoiker Fajardo and Blake Aita.  Contreras has actually been even better than Alonso this year.  He's had a few on-field issues, but has a 161 OPS+ and 23 home runs to date.  He is the thumper the team needed.

Here's a couple new Ceddanne Rafaela cards, including a relic card.  I don't get as many relics as I used to, but I still grab them depending on the player.  And Rafaela is a player I definitely go out and get.

Sonny Gray.  Another need for the team going into the offseason was some starting pitching depth and the team made another trade with the Cardinals for Gray, who has been a valuable starter for years with the A's, Reds, Yankees, Twins and Cardinals.  Gray cost Richard Fitts and Brandon Clarke.  He has also been terrific, leading the team in wins and ERA and being dependable every time out.

Here are several more Rafaela cards, including in the middle of the scan, the third Road to Opening Day card I grabbed.  Obviously I had to grab the Rafaela card.

More Random Thoughts

A lot of the following cards are relevant to some things going on with the team.  So, I have some random thoughts.

Franklin Arias.  Boston traded several prospects for Adley Rutschmann, as well as trading Marcelo Mayer.  Some time last year, Arias became Boston's top prospect.  He is still that and looks like a potential star.  Unfortunately, Boston has had some difficulty with players taking the next step in the Majors lately.  I expect Arias will be given the opportunity to win the starting shortstop job next Spring Training, or possibly a bit later in the year.  Mayer is gone, but Trevor Story is still around.

1.  Hunter Dobbins.  Boston has traded a LOT of pitching away lately.  Dobbins was sent to the Cardinals in the Willson Contreras deal, but they also traded Richard Fitts, Brandon Clarke, Blake Aita, Yhoiker Fajardo, Kyle Harrison, Kyson Witherspoon and Anthony Eyanson.  They have been quite good at developing pitchers lately, but trading them all away is not the best way to handle those resources.  Their top prospect list is becoming a lot more hitter-heavy than it has been the last couple years.

2.  Marcelo Mayer.  I have already talked about him a great deal.  I don't have much to add right now.

1.  Ceddanne Rafaela.  He has been a lot of fun to watch lately.  He crushed the Dodgers almost single-handedly last weekend during the three-game sweep, including crushing two homers (and nearly a third) off the great Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

2.  Kristian Campbell.  Campbell remains in the minors, but has improved a lot in the last month.  He still has a chance to make it back to the Majors.  I hope he does.  Especially now.  

3.  Franklin Arias.  Yep, two Arias cards in this post.

4.  Ceddanne Rafaela.  Yep, two Rafaela cards too.  That is significantly less surprising.

Randomness from TCDB

For some reason I get a lot of trade proposals focused around the late 2000's/early 2010's.  I don't have an explanation other than people trying to clear room of an era that isn't making much impact on the hobby anymore.  A lot of the cards in this post are from that time period. 

1.  Glenn Hoffman.  This is apparently from an All Star program insert?  Maybe?  Hoffman is actually the older brother of Trevor Hoffman, which is somewhat odd since he was out of the Majors a few years prior to Trevor making his debut.  Glenn was a light-hitting middle infielder.  

2.  J.D. Drew.  Drew is one of those players I defend a lot.  There is a subset of fans that refer to his free agent contract as a huge bust.  That is simply not borne out by the results.  Drew had an .824 OPS and 114 OPS+ during his time in Boston, but if you take out his injury-riddled final season, those numbers are .853 and 121.  That's a damn good player.

3.  Roger Clemens.  This is apparently a Canadian version of this card.  I accept these minor variations occasionally.

4.  Wade Boggs.  From the Idols subset, Boggs grew up idolizing George Brett, fittingly.  Brett had more power, but they were very similar players.

5.  Ryan McGuire.  McGuire was a third-round draft pick by the Red Sox in 1993.  He never played a game with Boston though as he was traded to the Expos prior to the 1996 season in the deal that brought Wil Cordero to Boston.

6.  Michael Bowden.  Bowden was a first round pick in the 2005 draft (which produced Jacoby Ellsbury and Jed Lowrie).  He was given a few stints in Boston then was traded to the Cubs for Marlon Byrd.

7.  Josh Beckett.  I don't know why I thought of this the other night, but I remembered when Boston played Cleveland in the 2007 ALCS and Beckett was pitching in Cleveland with the Indians staked to a 3-1 lead in the series.  In an effort to mess with his head and put Boston away, his ex-girlfriend who is a minor country music star, was brought in to sing the National Anthem prior to the game.  It didn't work.  Beckett pitched eight innings, gave up one run and struck out 11 en route to a 7-1 victory.  The Red Sox came all the way back to win the series and eventually the World Series. 

8.  Clay Buchholz.  Buchholz was a first-round draft pick also in 2005.  The Red Sox had FIVE picks in the first round that year.  And all five made the Majors with Buchholz, Ellsbury and Lowrie eventually going to All Star games.  That is one hell of a draft.

9.  Jacoby Ellsbury.  Speaking of Ellsbury.  He was the best player Boston picked in that draft, especially when you consider his efforts to bring down the Yankees from the inside after signing a lucrative deal prior to 2014.

10.  Anthony Ranaudo.  Ranaudo was a highly-touted draft pick when he was a first-rounder in 2010.  He struggled in his initial Major League appearances though and was eventually traded for Robbie Ross.

11.  Anthony Ranaudo.  Here he is again.

12.  Clay Buchholz.  Had he stayed healthy, Buchholz might have won the 2013 Cy Young Award.  He was 12-1 with a 1.74 ERA.

13.  Allen Webster.  Webster was one of the big names acquired when Boston reset during the 2012 season by sending Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, Josh Beckett and Nick Punto to the Dodgers.  Webster and Rubby De La Rosa were the big gets, along with Ivan DeJesus Jr., Jerry Sands and James Loney.  Eventually all of those pieces were sent elsewhere.  Sands and DeJesus were sent to the Pirates for Joel Hanrahan (and Brock Holt) prior to 2013.  Webster and De La Rosa were given a bit longer, but were eventually traded to Arizona for Wade Miley.  Webster never did develop into a reliable Major League starter.

14.  Teddy Stankiewicz.  I feel like he was some kind of relative to former Yankees infielder Andy Stankiewicz, but I can't confirm that.  He never made the Majors.

15.  Steven Wright.  Man, his off-field issues ruined what was a pretty good story.  I liked him a lot.  He had a fun knuckleball.

16.  Henry Owens.  I remember when he was a can't-miss prospect.  A first-rounder from the 2011 draft, he ended up pitching in 16 games with a 5.19 ERA.  This is why I don't get too hung up on prospects.

17.  Ted Williams.  A can't-miss prospect that didn't miss.  

Stadium Club and Select Blaster Breaks

I do not recall if I bought both of these at the same time, but I am combining them into one post anyway.  In earlier posts I mentioned having bad luck with Stadium Club and uncommonly good luck with Panini products with Red Sox cards.  That's why I will never stop buying Panini.

1.  Marcelo Mayer.  This is it from the Stadium Club blaster, which is better than usual.  I have a lot of thoughts about Monday's trade of Mayer to the Giants.  It is clear he fell out of favor with the team.  I really do think they gave up on him too soon though.  The guy was the highest draft pick by the team since the 1970's (Mike Garman went #3).  He only had 114 games under his belt.  He finishes his Red Sox career with a .223/.278/.346 line with seven homers and 32 RBIs.  A lot more was expected of him, but he is still just 23.  I hope he succeeds elsewhere.  I am not happy about what happened here and I certainly think they should have gotten more than a reliever for him, but let's see what happens with Erik Miller.

1.  Tris Speaker.  I always do better with Panini.  Speaker was probably the first superstar Boston lost to a contract dispute, unfortunately a pattern that carried on with Babe Ruth, Carlton Fisk, Fred Lynn, Roger Clemens, Mo Vaughn, Nomar Garciaparra, Jon Lester, Mookie Betts and Xander Bogaerts.  They need to treat their homegrown stars better.  Speaker was traded to Cleveland for Sad Sam Jones and Fred "Pinch" Thomas.

2.  Manny Ramirez.  I still hope to see Manny make the Hall of Fame some day.

3.  Roman Anthony.  I am hoping that Anthony does not fall into the same trap as Mayer did.  He has also had trouble staying on the field, but with his contract, he should be given a longer leash.  Hopefully he comes back strong in a few weeks.

TCDB Mailday

I am still working my way through the backlog of cards to show off.  Today's post is a TCDB trade without any real common theme.  Just a bunch of random stuff, though the last two subjects of player collections are here. 

1.  Zach Penrod.  This is my first card of Penrod.  It took quite awhile to grab one of these even though he was in Topps Series 2 in 2025.  Penrod appeared in seven games for the Red Sox in 2024 and had 2.25 ERA.  And that has been the sum total of his Major League experience to date.  The fact he got a card is pretty surprising.

2.  Wilyer Abreu.  Abreu is rising in my collection finally.  He has become one of the more noteworthy hitters on the team.  

3.  Ceddanne Rafaela.  What a season he is having.  Rafaela has emerged as the best player on the team this year.  He could receive MVP consideration.  

4.  Connor Wong.  Wong has settled into a pretty stable role as he has bounced back in a big way from the rough season he had in 2025.  His role is a little more questionable after a major deadline trade that I will discuss in much greater detail soon.

5.  David Ortiz.  Probably the biggest player in this package.  I added three Big Papi cards in this trade.

6.  Joe Cronin.  Cronin is an interesting story because he went from player to manager to general manager to president of the American League.  Not many players can say that.

7.  David Ortiz.

8.  Carlton Fisk.  I swear I had this card before, but I can't find it.  I must not have had it after all.

9.  David Ortiz.

10.  Wade Boggs.  I'm sure I have mentioned that Boggs was my first favorite player.

11.  Koji Uehara.  Surprisingly this individual had a bunch of these Sega Card Gen cards from Japan, so I was able to add a few, including the great Koji Uehara who had one of the most dominant seasons I have ever seen from a reliever in 2013.

12.  Junichi Tazawa.  Tazawa had an underrated career as a very capable reliever.  He was one of my favorite under-the-radar players.

13.  Jarrod Saltalamacchia.  The first (and thus far only) Red Sox catcher to have 40 doubles in a season, Saltalamacchia also led the team in home runs in 2012 with 25.  Had he been a better defensive backstop, he might have had a lengthier career.

14.  Mike Aviles.  Aviles was traded to the Blue Jays in a deal made primarily for Boston to hire manager John Farrell away from Toronto.  

15.  Ryan Kalish.  I had big hopes for Kalish to be a prominent outfielder for the Red Sox.  He had a nice 2010 season, but injuries derailed his career.

16.  Victor Martinez.  I thought a lot about V-Mart yesterday as the Red Sox made that one big trade of the deadline.  He was acquired under similar circumstances back in 2009 and immediately brought a lethal bat to Boston.  We will see if the new guy does the same.

17.  John Lackey.  Lackey looked like a horrible free agent signing after he had a terrible 2010 and 2011 season, then missed the entirety of 2012 with Tommy John surgery, but he bounced back in a big way in 2013 and was a bulldog in the postseason.  He won the clinching World Series game in 2013 and is now a Red Sox legend.  That's what winning does.

18.  Roger Clemens.  I still want to see The Rocket in the Hall of Fame.  His career was worthy well before the steroid allegations.  He and Bonds should both be in with Manny Ramirez coming later.

19.  Wade Boggs.  And closing things out with the Chicken Man.

2025 Stadium Club Blaster Break

For awhile, Stadium Club blasters were pretty plentiful near me, so I bought a few.  I almost had universally bad luck.  I think I bought four or five of them and at least two before I finally got a Red Sox card.  There were not many cards in the blaster, so it doesn't surprise me much that I was not pulling many, but the fact that I went a few before I pulled my first Red Sox card is crazy.

Well, pulling a David Ortiz card is never a bad thing, so I won't complain too much.  But there were a lot of other cards I could have pulled and just didn't.  I buy packs for two reasons: to get Red Sox cards and to shore up my tradelist.  Of those two, I would much prefer to get the Red Sox cards.  It feels like a waste of money otherwise.  But the chase is fun.

Maildays with a Bunch of Rafaelas

A lot of the following scans are trades from TCDB, along with some Ebay buys.  These all came in around the same period of time, and most of them include cards of Ceddanne Rafaela.  I am not sure of the status of my focus on him.  He is becoming one of the bigger stars on the team, and his stuff is becoming more expensive.  I will keep going for now, but we will see what happens.

Up first is a trade: 

1.  Bronson Arroyo.  It is so cool when companies include cards of retired players like this.  Arroyo was not a big star and he is certainly not as well-known for his time with the Red Sox.  He was pretty good for the Red Sox in 2004 and 2005.  He was then traded to the Reds for Wily Mo Pena, which is a trade that worked out much better for Cincinnati than Boston.

2.  Wilyer Abreu.  Abreu is finally starting to do a bit better in my collection lately.  He is still somewhat underrepresented for as big of a player as he is for this team.

3.  Aroldis Chapman.  I didn't love it when Boston signed Chapman, but he has won me over with his great performance since joining the Red Sox.

4.  Ceddanne Rafaela.  Rafaela has been breaking out this season, making the All Star team for the first time and carrying a batting average around .280 and an OPS over .750.  He is also playing his usual great defense, hitting for some pop and stealing bases.  

5.  Ceddanne Rafaela.  Card number two.

6.  Corey Kluber.  The Klubot was a disaster in Boston.  The two-time Cy Young winner started on Opening Day in 2023, but had a 7.04 ERA in 15 games with the Red Sox.  About the best thing that could be said about his stint in Boston was that he notched the first (and only) save of his career.

Here is card number three of Rafaela in this post.  Several more to come.

The next two scans are from the same trade:

1.  Hanley Ramirez.  Ramirez was the first real player I followed from his time as a minor leaguer.  I grabbed a bunch of his cards during his rise through the minor leagues.  Then he made it to the Major Leagues in 2005, playing in just two games, then he was traded to the Marlins in the deal for Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell.  And that's why I don't invest heavily in prospects anymore.  He did come back to Boston and had a bad year in 2015, a great year in 2016, an okay year in 2017 and was released partway through 2018.  There's some concerning rumors about what happened that led to that.

2.  J.D. Martinez.  I still get offered a ton of Martinez cards all the time in trades on TCDB.

3.  Connor Seabold.  He looks like a right-handed, slightly more svelte Payton Tolle here.  Seabold seemed like the big get when Boston traded Brandon Workman and Heath Hembree to the Phillies in 2020, but it ended up being Nick Pivetta.  Seabold was not good in Boston.

4.  J.D. Martinez.  See?

5.  Masataka Yoshida.  Yoshida has played well limited opportunities with the Red Sox this season.  I don't know how much longer he will be in Boston though.  

6.  David Hamilton.  I liked Hamilton, particularly in 2024 when he stole 33 bases.  He was part of the package sent to the Brewers along with Kyle Harrison for Caleb Durbin, Andruw Monasterio and Anthony Seigler, each of whom has been producing for Boston lately.

7.  Rafael Devers.  I expect that he will be offered a lot in upcoming TCDB trades.  I remember turning one down that featured 15 Devers cards.  I don't mind getting more cards of him, but that one seemed excessive.

8.  Garrett Crochet.  The amazing thing about the Red Sox recent success is that they are doing it without Crochet.  He has been on the shelf since May.  

9.  Garrett Crochet.  

10.  Dustin May.  The acquisition of May was not a good trade by the Red Sox.  Most of their trades since have been fairly decent, but this one was bad.

11.  Marcelo Mayer.  Mayer has not played well in his opportunities at the big league level.  That being said, he was the fourth overall pick in the 2021 draft and he is still just 23.  I think he deserves more time before deciding he is a bust.  I also do not want to see him get traded yet.

12.  Ceddanne Rafaela.  Card number four.

1.  Ceddanne Rafaela.  Card number five.

2.  Ceddanne Rafaela.  Card number six.

1.  Justin Slaten.  Slaten has been another remarkable discovery through the Rule 5 Draft.  He was drafted by the Mets in the 2023 Rule 5 Draft, but immediately traded to the Red Sox and has been very impressive, becoming a weapon at the back end of the bullpen.

2.  Dick Gernert.  Unfortunately vintage cards are hard to come by in TCDB trades.  Gernert was a good-hitting first-baseman for the Red Sox in the 1950's.  He hit 101 home runs with the Red Sox and had a .788 OPS.

3.  Ryan Weber.  Weber was a journeyman pitcher who played with the Braves, Mariners, Rays, Brewers and Yankees, but who had his most success with the Red Sox, though that's not really saying a lot.

Card number seven.

1.  Ceddanne Rafaela.  Card number eight.

2.  Ceddanne Rafaela.  Card number nine.

3.  Wilyer Abreu.  My second Abreu in this post.

4.  Ceddanne Rafaela.  Card number ten.

5.  Ceddanne Rafaela.  Card number eleven.  Yes, this counts as a Rafaela card.  That's him coming to the plate after a walkoff.

6.  Aroldis Chapman.  My second card of him in this post.  This is naming him as the reliever on the All Topps Team.

1.  Ceddanne Rafaela.  Card number 12.  This card was supposed to part of the trade made up by the below two cards, but the wrong one was sent and I bought this one.

2.  Carl Yastrzemski.  I like this card a lot, plus it has Yaz in the mid- to late-70's uniforms with the red hats.

3.  Jhostynxon Garcia.  I was disappointed when Garcia was traded, but understood why it happened.  The outfield was full.  Unfortunately, the Major League pitchers acquired in the deal have been injured for most of the season.  Tyler Samaniego has been very good while Johan Oviedo has struggled.

And closing things off with a very garish-looking card number 13.