Trade #2 has a little deadline poetry to it. Boston sent Carlos Narváez to Baltimore. Detroit sent Tarik Skubal to LA. Now their cards have worked out a deal of their own: Narvy heads home to Boston with Steve, while Skubal heads west to join me in Los Angeles (for a World Series victory…).
Steve had other reasons to want the Narváez autograph, too. Its gloriously loud 1990 Topps design took him back to his first junk-wax set, and Narvy had been one of his favorite recent Red Sox.
In return, he sent a /25 2026 Topps Finest Tarik Skubal orange parallel!! We have now traded a junk-wax common into a rookie autograph, then traded the rookie autograph into one of baseball’s best pitchers (I can say that now because he’s on my Dodgers). Also, it is extremely orange.
A note from the accounting department: This card only has one verified sale at $39, and one sale does not a market make, so I’ll be conservative and list the value at $30.
As always, the better part of the trade is the person on the other side of it.
What do you collect, and what’s your favorite card in your collection?
I’ve collected during different periods of my life. I lived the junk-wax era when I was too young to even recognize the players on the cards; I just knew I liked having them.
In my pre-teens, I would use the small amounts of allowance I earned to buy the “higher-end” packs of the time from the card shop in town. I loved Upper Deck SPx and, according to Beckett at the time, was sitting on a gold mine. Once I hit my teens, cards made way for girls and being in bands.
In my early 20s, I randomly got back into cards when I was fresh out of rehab. This didn’t register as correlated, but after spending time in the r/baseballcards community in recent years, I learned that it’s actually quite common. I fell off again when I had to focus on getting myself on my feet and any funds I had needed to go toward that.
In late 2020, some of my coworkers got into collecting during the COVID boom, which prompted me to look through the cards I still had from my early 20s. I had focused on the 2008 Topps Update Series back then and found I had four copies each of Clayton Kershaw’s and Max Scherzer’s rookie cards. Just like that, I was hooked and haven’t really stopped since.
I strictly collect baseball cards. Over the last five years, my PC has shifted from any and every Red Sox card I could get my hands on and the roster of my dynasty fantasy baseball team, to rookie cards of top modern players, to not collecting anything because the Sox let go of everyone I loved. Currently, I’m heavily focused on building complete sets, including base and inserts. Otherwise, I’ve very recently started targeting cards of any player in a Red Sox uniform that simply look cool to me. It feels like I’m finally collecting what I enjoy, and for the right reasons.
Why were you interested in this trade?
I’ve always been intrigued by the trade-up concept. I think it’s a unique and challenging journey, but if I had to guess, the collectors you meet along the way are the real ones because of their willingness to take a lower-value card for something they want because it’s important to them. I think that’s the true beauty of collecting.
The Narváez auto specifically hit me on a couple of levels. My first junk-wax set was 1990 Topps, and I just love the uber-’90s design. They really didn’t make anything with that loud a style in that era, and I’ve always been attracted to neons and bright colors in general.
Narvy was also one of my favorite Sox from the recent team. It was a pretty gutting trade deadline for me because I also went in heavy on Connelly Early. With both traded away, it’s a bit of a bummer, but I think it helped me realize that if I’m that much of a homer, collecting former players in the uniform is just as good as collecting the current players.
Finally, it felt good to bring Narvy back home from his journey out of the Commonwealth.
Is there a story behind the card you traded?
Nothing too crazy, other than 2026 Finest was the first higher-end set I let myself get indulgent with. I’ve always ripped flagship sets and some Chrome here and there, but at this point I’m making the money to support that outflow of discretionary income. Through my set-building journey, many a cool hit ensued.
What are your favorite sports teams?
Boston Red Sox, San Francisco Giants, New England Patriots.
Thank you, Steve—and congratulations to Narvy on making it home. The original Oil Can Boyd is now two trades away, and the card currently on the table is a Cy Young winner, numbered to 25, and by far the shiniest card yet. Progress.
If you’re interested in owning the Skubal and becoming Trade #3, please reach out.