Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association have agreed to a new exclusive trading card deal with sports apparel and collectible retailer Fanatics Inc., according to people familiar with the matter.
The move will end the longstanding dominance of Topps Co. in baseball, while Fanatics gains a crucial foothold in the booming market for trading cards. Fanatics has also signed other sports properties to exclusive licenses, though they haven’t yet been revealed, said one of the people, who asked not to be identified because the matter is private.