Juan Soto Is Driving a Free Agency Frenzy - Just Like His Record-Breaking Rookie Card

Juan Soto is said to be courted by as many as seven teams, headlining this year's free agency class. The slugger has been compared to Ted Williams for his approach at the plate. His popularity has transferred into The Hobby, with one of the most-graded rookie cards ever.

Oct 26, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; New York Yankees outfielder Juan Soto (22) hits a solo home run in the third inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers during game two of the 2024 MLB World Series at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Juan Soto is a sought-after man. The New York Yankees, New York Mets, and Los Angeles Dodgers are among the favorites to land his baseball-playing services for what will surely be a historic contract.

His rookie card from 2018 Topps Update was also one of the most in-demand cards from his days with the Washington Nationals. The card is the 28th-most graded card in Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) history (according to Gem Rate), and the third-most graded baseball card from a 21st century release.

Photo Courtesy of Sportsnut Cards and Collectibles

His base rookie card has been graded more than 35,800 times by PSA, with more than 23,600 of the submissions receiving a PSA 10. A base PSA 10 sells for between $45 -$50, according to data from Card Ladder.

There is another version of this card, the gold parallel numbered to 2018, that sells for about $1,000 in PSA 10 and for a little more than $400 in PSA 9.

2018 Topps Update Juan Soto Gold Parallel #/2018 | Photo Courtesy of Burbank Sports Cards

But one of the scarcest base Soto rookie cards from a major release comes from 2018 Topps Archives. Soto's rookie card from 2018 Archives has been graded 1,967 times - just a tad above 2018 Bowman's Best and 2018 Bowman Prospects Chrome.

But Archives has a much lower rate of PSA 10s. Only 51% of cards submitted from Archives received a Gem Mint grade, putting the overall numbers of this particular rookie card in PSA 10 at 1,010. It is one of the lowest-populated Soto rookie cards in PSA 10 among all major releases.

2018 Topps Archives Juan Soto Rookie Card #73 | Photo Courtesy of Invaluable

What's more, Soto's Topps Archives typically sells for under $50 in PSA 10. It's quite the bargain considering his 2018 Topps Update base card sells for about $50 in PSA 10 but has more than 23 times the population!

One other card to look at comes from 2018 Topps Gallery, with 990 PSA 10s in circulation. A sale from early November came in at $20 with shipping, though the cards in PSA 10 typically sell for between $30-$40.

Photo Courtesy of PSA

When considering Soto rookie cards, not all of them are created equal. And it's worth taking a look at different options given the disparities between population and market prices.