Tarik Skubal's Topps Chrome rookie rose after the Dodgers trade
As free agency gears up, his rookie value has come back down to pre-trade levels.
Two-time American League Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal has made a name for himself in Major League Baseball and the card market. When Skubal was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers at this past season's trade deadline, his market exploded. Depending on when he signs and what team he signs with, you can see another big spike in his key cards' value. Between his time with the Tigers and Dodgers this season, Skubal posted a 12-7 record, a 2.72 ERA, and 186 strikeouts. In his career, he has 1,075 strikeouts. Many teams will want to add Skubal to their rotation and will likely offer him a long-term deal worth a few hundred million. He will be 30 when the 2027 season starts.
The trade lifted his 2020 Bowman Chrome Prospect Autograph, his 1st Bowman auto, and the chart below shows a PSA 10 holding above its pre-trade price through October.
When Skubal signs his new contract, his market could spike briefly, as it did this past August. A big-market team could make that spike even higher for his autos.
His 2021 Topps Chrome rookie card #103 rose more in a PSA 10 than the auto did, then gave all of it back. A PSA 10 has sold for $61 to $96 in the last 30 days. Raw copies go for about $1.
If you're looking for a more budget-friendly card that can still increase in value, the Topps Chrome rookie in a PSA 10 may be the way to buy into Skubal before he signs. A PSA 9 works on a smaller budget at about $19. Free agency opened Nov. 2 at 5 p.m. ET. The collective bargaining agreement expires Dec. 1 at 11:59 p.m. ET. A lockout after that looks all but certain. It would stop signings until MLB and the players' union reach a new agreement.
Juan Soto is the closest comparison. A PSA 10 of his 2016 Bowman Chrome Prospect Autograph sold for $2,500 on Nov. 20, 2024, 18 days before his record deal with the New York Mets. A year later, in December 2025, PSA 10s sold for about $2,270. It has climbed back above $2,500 this year.
Skubal's Topps Chrome rookie has already given back its whole trade spike. That makes now, with free agency open and a lockout likely after Dec. 1, the cheap side of his next move. I'd buy a PSA 10 of the rookie under $80 before he signs and sell into the run a big-market deal would bring, the way collectors paid up after the trade in August.
