David Ortiz swaps Yankees-signed Aaron Judge, Alex Rodriguez baseball cards for a "great deal"

Hall of Fame slugger David Ortiz was a major thorn in the flesh of the New York Yankees over his 14-year stint with the Boston Red Sox. Ortiz produced many memorable moments against the Yankees, especially in the postseason, and he was feared and respected in equal measure by rival fans.

David Ortiz has always had high regard for the New York Yankees organization while playing for the Boston Red Sox and has done so even after his retirement. However, the Red Sox legend didn't seem to have any regrets about trading away some of his rare baseball cards of Yankees superstars in exchange for some common ones, including one of his own.

Baseball card and collectibles manufacturer Topps posted an update on Instagram showing David Ortiz giving up some highly coveted items of several Yankees icons from the present and the past, like Aaron Judge and Alex Rodriguez.

Topps hosted 2025 Rip Night across its outlets around the US, its annual fest celebrating the hobby of baseball card collection.

"Big Papi traded away his rare Yankees cards for some common Red Sox ones … and as far as he’s concerned, he got a great deal," Topps posted along with the images on Instagram.

Among the cards David Ortiz gave away were a couple of autographed relic cards of three-time American League MVP Alex Rodriguez and five-time Cy Young Award-winner Randy Johnson. The collection also included an autographed relic of current Yankees captain Aaron Judge as well as some cards from his rookie season.

Meanwhile, Ortiz only received six cards in return, with all of them being common ones. Still, Big Papi seemed happy with the result, as he was smiling after the exchange.

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David Ortiz offers his take on the Red Sox third baseman conundrum

Rafael Devers might be removed from the thrid baseman role by the Red Sox. (Image Source: IMAGN)

The Boston Red Sox are in a conundrum regarding their infield defensive alignment, with third baseman Rafael Devers receiving strong competition for his position following the arrival of Alex Bregman earlier this month.

David Ortiz shared his perspective on the situation during a guest appearance on a radio station in his native Dominican Republic earlier this week.

"You are not talking about just another ball player, you are talking about Rafael Devers, the current David Ortiz-type player the Red Sox have," Ortiz said on Z101 Digital, as translated by MLB insider Hector Gomez.

"Listen to me, that's the team's best player. Bregman might have better defensive numbers, I'll give you that. But you are not talking about a 'Mickey Mouse' type of player, you are talking about Rafael Devers."

Ortiz made 10 All-Star Game appearances and won three World Series titles with the Red Sox. He ended his career with 541 home runs and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2022.