TCDB Trade Recap: Cards From Greenville, TN

Time to catch up on the TCDB trades. This trade was with a collector named Billy. I sent Billy some Archives base needs on his list, and picked up a page full of current Red Sox needs: 

 

Once Series 2 was released, I wanted to try and finish up acquiring the last 3 Red Sox cards I needed from Series 1. I also managed to add a selection of Update series needs, as well as one more Red Sox card from the 2019 Topps 150th Anniversary parallel I needed. (If I was ever crazy enough to complete a parallel set, this would probably be the one. I really like the simple tribute to 150 years of baseball). 

 

Favorite Card: 2019 Topps - 150th Anniversary #373 Christian Vazquez. (I almost went with the 2020 Topps Update MLB All-Star Rivals, but I couldn't let a Yankee share credit for a win now could I?)

 

Thanks for the trade Billy! 

TCDB Trade Recap: Cards From Loveland, CO

Just a small trade today, courtesy of a TCDB member named Harrison:

 

 

1 card for an insert set build, 1 for a team set build, plus two recent Heritage rookie cards!

 

Favorite Card: 2026 Topps Heritage #386 Payton Tolle (RC)  - He's such a joyful player and his interviews are entertaining!

 

Thanks for the trade Harrison! 

 

Generosity In All It's Forms

It's a well known fact that card collectors are among the most generous of any hobby group. What's more, they express this generosity in many ways:

 

Take for instance Tom (Batting Out Of Order). He recently held a giveaway on his blog for anyone to take advantage of. I of course took part. Nabbing the Red Sox cards was an obvious choice for me, as was a vintage Sabres card. The rest, to be honest, were cards I just liked for one reason or another. (Except for the Big Red Machine Combo card - I actually wanted the card next to it, but wrote down the wrong number in the comments! No matter - it's still a cool card! I should probably double check and see if a certain Larkin super-collector needs it...)

 

 

Favorite Card: 1977 Hostess #148 George Scott  

 

Sometimes generosity comes in the form of some extra cards in a trade. That's what Bo (Baseball Cards Come to Life!) did with our most recent Time Travel Trading trade. He included these extra cards for my collection:

 

 

Favorite Card: 2002 Upper Deck #597 Johnny Damon

 

Random unexpected cards are wonderful, but sometimes a collector will contatc you, see if you need specific cards and then hunt them down for you. That's what Stuart (S.R. '75 Cards) did when he asked if I needed the two Japanese variations of Daisuke Matsuzaka's 2007 Topps card. He sent both of them my way, along with an unexpected autograph:

 

Favorite Card: 2026 Topps Heritage - Real One Autographs #ROA-KCA Kristian Campbell (AU) 

 

My sincerest thanks to Tom, Bo, and Stuart for their amazing generosity!  

The Red Sox Free Agent All-Stars! (2026 Update)

 

Over the weekend, MLB announced the full AL and NL squads for this year's All-Star game. Three Red Sox players made this year's team: starting pitcher Ranger Suarez, closer Ardolis Chapman, and 1st baseman Willson Contreras. Suarez was Boston's big free agent signing over the winter, an unexpected pivot when Boston failed to sign a premium hitter like Pete Alonso or Alex Bregman (neither of whom made the All-Star team I might add).

 

It reminded me of a post I did 3 years ago when closer Kenley Jansen made the All-Star team. His selection led me to wonder how often a free agent signed by the Red Sox made the All-Star team in his first year with Boston. You can't make a better first impression than that! I updated that post just last year when Bregman and Chapman joined the list.

I figured I might as well update the list once again. According to my research, Suarez represents the 13th time the Red Sox have signed a free agent and had that player make the All-Star team in his first year. It's an unusual group of guys, from a future first ballot Hall of Famer to a couple of guys even hardcore Red Sox fans might not remember. 

Bill Campbell, RP, 1977

 

1977 Topps #166 Bill Campbell

 

The first big free agent signing by the Red Sox turned out well. After winning the very first Rolaids Relief Award in 1976 for the Twins, Campbell signed a 5 year contract with Boston. He made his only All-Star team in 1977, and finished the year leading the league in saves and winning the Rolaids Award again.

Erik Hanson, SP, 1995

 

1995 Upper Deck #483 Erik Hanson (TR)

 

Probably the oddest entry in this list, Hanson signed a one-year contract prior to the 1995 season. He made his only All-Star squad en route to a 15-5 season, parlayed that into a multi-year contract with Toronto, and ended up as one of the worst free agent signings in franchise history. 

 

Jose Offerman, 2B, 1999

 

2000 Upper Deck
#61 Jose Offerman (AS)

 

The Red Sox badly needed a second baseman and lead-off hitter. They thought they were getting both when they signed Jose Offerman to a 4-year deal. His first season was actually pretty solid, and he made the All-Star team as a reserve. Wheels completely fell off after that, and he became Jose "Awful-man" to the Boston fandom.

 

Manny Ramirez, OF, 2001

 

2002 Ultra
#206 Manny Ramirez (AS)

 

Arguably the greatest free agent signing in Red Sox history. Not only did Manny make the All-Star team during his first year in Boston, he made the All-Star team every single season of his 8-year contract. Outside of his personality shortcomings and PED usage, he was (statistically) worth every penny.

 

Johnny Damon, OF, 2002

 

2002 Fleer Tradition Update
#U327 Johnny Damon (AS)

 

Lightning struck twice as for the second straight year, Boston signed an outfielder who became an All-Star. Damon was actually the very first AL player to earn an All-Star nod by the now-defunct "All-Star Final Vote" gimmick  (beating out Jim Thome, Eric Chavez, Magglio Ordonez, and Darin Erstad).

 

Matt Clement, SP, 2005

 

2005 Topps Updates & Highlights
- All-Star Stitches #ASR-MCL
Matt Clement (MEM)

 

Clement was one of a handful of starters the World Champion Red Sox signed in an attempt to replace the departing Pedro Martinez and Derek Lowe. He had a great first half of the 2005 season, going 10-2 and being named as a replacement for the injured Roy Halladay. Shortly after the All-Star break, he was struck in the head by a line drive and was never effective again.

 

Hideki Okajima, RP, 2007

 

2007 Topps Updates & Highlights
#UH247 Hideki Okajima (AS)

 

Prior to the 207 season, Boston made international news by signing a star pitcher from Japan. Who would have thought their second, less herald Japanese import would be the one to make the All-Star team? Okajima was fantastic out of the bullpen, and like Damon before him was named the winner of that year's "Final Vote", although he didn't get in the game. Later that year, he became the first Japanese pitcher to pitch in the World Series.

 

Adrian Beltre, 3B, 2010

 

2010 Topps Update
#US-328 Adrian Beltre (AS)

 

There was a time when no one, and I mean no one, thought of Adrian Beltre as a Hall of Fame player. I'm not saying that the one-year pillow contract he signed with the Red Sox in 2010 jump-started his Hall of Fame candidacy, but without that one amazing season in Boston, the Rangers would never have known what he was capable of. Why the Red Sox let him go after that I'll never understand...

 

J.D. Martinez, DH, 2018

 

2019 Topps Heritage
#359 J.D. Martinez (AS)

 

J.D. Martinez was one of the most impactful signings in franchise history. The professional hitter at the heart of one of the greatest Red Sox teams ever, Martinez made the All-Star team every single year of his 5-year contract aside from the 2020 season (when the All-Star Game was cancelled).

 

Kenley Jansen, RP, 2023

 

2024 Topps Pristine
#297 Kenley Jansen

There were many raised eyebrows at his nomination. Stat-wise, he was solid but unspectacular. One could even argue that he was not the most deserving reliever on the team. Yet, his inclusion was merited as the Red Sox lone representative that year. The Red Sox hadn't had a true closer since Craig Kimbrel, and the future Hall of Famer helped turn the Boston bullpen into a strength. 

 

Alex Bregman, 3B, 2025

 

2025 Topps Update - 2025 All-Star Game
#ASG-41 Alex Bregman

 

Bregman was an interesting selection, mainly because he hadn't played in the 6 weeks prior to his selection! It's unusual to have someone who has missed that much time be considered an All-Star. Yet, he was so incredible at the start of the season that even with all that time missed, he was still 2nd among AL 3rd basemen in WAR, and top-6 in HR and RBI. 

 

Aroldis Chapman, RP, 2025

 

2025 Topps Chrome Update - 2025 All-Star Game
#ASGC-50 Aroldis Chapman

Like Jansen before him, Chapman's 1 year contract the previous off-season was one of those minor transactions that wasn't shaking the landscape. Since his last All-Star selection in 2021, he had been on a journeyman's path with stops with 5 different teams. In his two years with Boston, he's turned back the clock with his best seasons since his days in Cincinati! Oh and he recently broke the all-time strikeout record for relievers this year too.

 

Ranger Suarez, SP, 2026

 

2026 Topps #440 Ranger Suarez

 

Although  Suarez has had a solid season so far, many Red Sox fans were surprised he's earned the nod over fellow starter Sonny Gray, who was leading the AL with 10 wins. Suarez was injured and couldn't play the last time he made an All-Start team in 2024, and unfortunately lightning might have struck twice, as he left his last start early with a left groin strain. (Update: He was placed on the 15-day IL yesterday..)

Red Sox Frankenset: Choosing Cards #31-33

It's time to take a look at a few more cards and see which ones deserve inclusion in my Red Sox Frankenset. Just a refresher, I'm going through my Red Sox doubles and picking the best at each number for the Frankenset. 

 

We're continuing page #4 today, and although there aren't a ton of choices for each number, you'll notice some similarities. With limited choices, I added a new feature too - Cards that would have probably won if I had a double of them.

 

#31

 

Favorite Card: 1992 Upper Deck - Baseball Heroes: Ted Williams #31 Ted Williams

My Choice: 1988 Donruss All-Stars #31 Wade Boggs (TVG)

Card I Wish I Had a Double of: 1971 Topps Eddie Kasko (MGR) 

 

Let's get this out of the way: If you check out the last Frankenset post I did, you'll see that 2 out of the 3 card spots featured a double from the 1992 Upper Deck - Baseball Heroes: Ted Williams insert set. Additionally, the final spot from that row (#30) was taken by a Ted Williams card. I'm trying to avoid pages featuring multiple cards from the same player, let alone the same set. As much as I love the photo of Williams holding the actual MVP award he won, Boggs gets the spot in the Frankenset. To Donruss's credit, I do like that they produced a card celebrating Boggs as the top vote getter for the All-Star game. It's that little bit of originality that makes me content with the choice.

 

#32

Favorite Card: 1992 Upper Deck - Baseball Heroes: Ted Williams #32 Ted Williams

My Choice: 2013 Topps #32 Craig Breslow

Card I Wish I Had a Double of: 1986 Donruss Highlights #32 Bobby Doerr

 

Have you picked up on the similarity yet? Another Upper Deck Ted Williams card - pretty sure I'm a card or two short of a second complete set for these inserts. At least the alternative is a unique instance of a card featuring the current Chief Baseball Officer of the Red Sox.

 

 

#33

 

Favorite Card: 1992 Upper Deck - Baseball Heroes: Ted Williams #33 Ted Williams

My Choice: 1992 Fleer #33 Tom Bolton

Card I Wish I Had a Double of: 1993 Upper Deck #33 Tony Pena (CH) 

 

Three cards to finish off the row, and once again another Ted Williams card that gets passed over due to my desire to avoid repetition. Of the two remaining, I don't know if a Red Sox Frankenset can morally have a card featuring two Yankee players, so the choice goes to Bolton. It's not the most interesting card, but I do feel the teal design of 1992 Fleer is underappreciated. It could be worse.

 

So with these three selections, our second row of page 4 is complete:

 

  

To think, if I went with what I believed to be the best card for each spot, we would have a row of 3 straight 1992 Upper Deck Ted Williams cards (and 4 in a row on the page to boot!) Was that the right choice? Let me know what you think!

Playing In the Snow

By now, most of us have had there fill of snow and winter in general. We're ready for Spring, and with it the start of a new baseball season.

 

Still, there's just something about playing in the snow. When Tom (Batting Out Of Order) offered up some Uno football cards, I couldn't help but claim one card in particular:

 

Although I am a Bills fan, I'm not really a football card collector. But how could I pass up this fantastic photo of superstar quarterback Josh Allen doing what he does best and making things happen for the team. It's a beautiful shot of one of the more memorable moments from the season.

Amazing. Tom was also kind enough to send a few extra cards too: 

 

 

Three more down just seven to go to complete this Glossy All-Star insert set!

 

Thanks for the cards Tom! 

Setting My Next Goals

When I made a Sportlots order over the summer, I managed to complete a handful of sets that have been sitting on my So Close! page for a long time. Once those sets were removed, that page looked a little ragged. It was time to update it, and to do that I needed to decide exactly what sets I wanted to tackle next. In particular, which major base set. I was down one base set listed, 2016 Topps Archives. Depending on your personal viewpoint, I'm either close to completing it (only 18 cards to go!) or facing an uphill climb (those blasted 10 short-prints!) I needed a complementary set chase. 

 

I decided on the 1977 Topps set. As it turns out, a couple of needs happened to be sitting in the Time Travel Trading stack, so I made a personal swap with myself to add them to my collection.

 

My next step was a stop at the card and collectables shop near my workplace. I knew he had a box of commons from the 70's, so I spent a lunch break going through what he had. There not in the best shape, lots of soft corners and such, but they'll do just fine.

 

I'm 110 cards away now, which isn't horrible. There's still a few big names to get - Rod Carew, George Brett, and the rookie card of Bruce Sutter being the big three.

 

While the 1977 Topps set is goal #1 right now, it wasn't the only set I added to the page. You have to keep your options open, right? I also added a few smaller goals:

 

1971 Fleer World Series (Black Backs)

I love these Laughlin cartoons, and I just need 24 cards to finish this set. 

 

2024 Topps Heritage - The Fred Lynn Files

 

For the first time, I added a set that I currently own zero cards of! It's only 10 cards, so I'm not to worried about getting the set complete in time. Chances are if there's an insert set consisting of only Red Sox, I'll probably go after it.

 

1990 Topps - 1989 All-Star Game (All-Star Glossy) 

I've always loved these inserts, and they were a key selling point for me to but the rack packs. I'd love to complete the full run someday. I'm starting with 1990 set first. 

 

Feel free to check out my So Close! page, see if you have any I might need and perhaps we can work out a trade! 

Progress Made!

Have you ever had a to-do list that has been there for awhile, and then out of the blue you get this burst of motivation to make some progress on it? I reached that point with my card collection earlier this summer, and the result was a Sportlots order that shook things up for me:

 

Progress Made - A Set Completed! 

 

Back in 8th Grade, I bought a box of 1988 Leaf. (Side note: I miss the days when kids could buy a box of cards, go home, rip all the packs and come out with a near complete set of cards...)  Anyway, this set has been lingering on my So Close! page pretty much since I created it, with an occasional card being acquired here and there. I finally picked up the remaining cards I needed to finish this set!

 

Progress Made - An Inset Set Completed!

 

I also picked up the lone card remaining from one of my favorite insert sets, the artistically brilliant Pro-Visions series from Fleer. Bo has been the lone hold-out for a long time.

 

Progress Made - Another Insert Set Completed!

 

If there's a set dedicated to a player on your favorite team, all from his time with that team, it's pretty much a given you'll attempt to finish that set. For me, it's the Mookie Betts Star Player Highlights set from 2019 Topps - an uninspiring set dedicated to a Red Sox legend in his last year before terrible things happened (unless you're a Dodgers fan that is). I'll enjoy this set and wonder when the Red Sox will start trading for mega-star players instead of trading them away...sigh...

 

Progress Made - Team Sets Completed!

 

I also knocked out some Topps base set cards that allowed me to complete all of the Red Sox from those years. I now have all of the Red Sox cards from the 1983, 1995, 2001, 2005, and 2010 Topps base sets!

 

Progress Made - Team Sets Closer To Completion!

I bought a lot of base set cards. Although these ones don't finish out any particular year for me, they get me much closer to that goal. With these purchases, I'm getting to a point where my Missing Sox page is going to need to expand beyond just the Topps base sets from 1975 onward! Hopefully I'll have a nice revision before the year ends.

 

Progress Made - Golden Sox!

After the Red Sox won the World Series in 2018, I decided I would commemorate the victory by picking up the gold parallel of every Red Sox card in the 2018 Topps base and update sets. Over the past few years, I've stagnated on completing it. (It may never get complete due to that Rafael Devers rookie card!) Still, I decided to at least make a little progress by adding these two cards of J.D. Martinez.

 

Progress Made - Collecting Someone I'm Not Related To!

 

There's only one person in MLB history with the same last name as me. Bob Keppel pitched for 3 teams between 2006-2009, and according to the TCDB, he has a total of exactly 100 cards. I made it a goal of mine to be the #1 collector of his cards on the TCDB. Before this order was entered in, I was in a multiple-person tie for 48th place with 2 cards. I'm now in 3rd place with 9, just 5 cards back from the #1 spot. 

 

  

Progress Not Made - Just For Fun!

 

These cards don't knock out any particular wants other than their Red Sox cards I found pleasing to the eye. The Spring Training card was one of my top Red Sox cards from 2020. The Bogaerts is from the 2019 150th Anniversary parallel, an insert set I've considered chasing. Loretta is one of those random players you often forget were All-Stars. The rest just caught my attention!

 

I'm going to have to redo/update my other blog pages after this one! 

Red Sox Frankenset: Choosing Cards #25-27

It's time to take a look at a few more cards and see which ones deserve inclusion in my Red Sox Frankenset. Just a refresher, I'm going through my Red Sox doubles and picking the best at each number for the Frankenset. Let's roll! 

 

#25

Favorite Card: 1994 Collector's Choice #25 Trot Nixon (FRDP, RC)

My Choice: same

I'll admit, this one was a tough one. Although Raffy and Nomar are solid choices, I kept going back and forth between Mo and Trot. Ultimately, I felt the simplistic shot of Nixon with the cloud background was the best choice.

 

#26

 

Favorite Card: 2015 Topps #26 Bryce Brentz (RC)

My Choice: same

I'm not a huge fan of either of these cards to be honest. Clemens is a better player, and the card notes one of the many highlights from his amazing MVP season. However, this card design is ugly! Brentz is the opposite - He only played in 34 MLB games, but I really like the design on the 2015 Topps set. Since a Clemens card from this set has already made the Frankenset, I went with the lesser known Bryce Brentz.

 

#27

Favorite Card: 2016 Topps Gypsy Queen #27 Craig Kimbrel

My Choice: same

No other options but to go with Kimbrel for the final spot! At least it's a good looking card from the All-Star's time with Boston! 

 

With these selections, I have completed the third page of my Frankenset! 

Not bad, there's a nice mix of Hall of Famers, very good players, and some lesser knowns. I couldn't help but notice the first column is mainly poses, minor action in the middle column, and cards with the most movement in the rightmost column. 

What say you, good readers? Did I make the right choices with the bottom row? Now that the full page is before you, any changes you would make? (Feel free to review choices #19 -21 and #22-24!) Let me know in the comments!  

 

In case you're interested...

 

Page 1 (#1 - 9)

Page 2 (#10 - 18)