Panini Announces Deal To Produce Area Code Baseball Trading Cards

Area Code Baseball officially has a new partner for trading cards and collectibles.

Area Code is teaming with Panini on a multiyear deal, it was announced as this year’s Area Code Games kicked off in Long Beach, California, this week, featuring hundreds of amateur baseball players showcasing their skills for scouts.

“With a shared passion for serving the present and future generations of baseball, partnering [with Panini] made too much sense, and through this collaboration, we look forward to continuing our pursuit of delivering the best opportunities for our Area Code Games participants,” Ronny Torres, vice president of Area Code Baseball, said in a press release.

Panini has not yet provided specifics for what future Area Code releases might entail, but its current deal with USA Baseball includes annual releases featuring autographs and relic cards of hundreds of those players. USA Baseball players also wear a Panini logo patch on their jerseys.

In addition to its USA Baseball and Area Code contracts, Panini also ramped up its prospect portfolio earlier this year with the release of “Panini Prospect Edition,” featuring many top minor league names.

Area Code Baseball started in 1987, and numerous alumni have gone on to major league careers, including Freddie Freeman, Mike Trout and Bryce Harper.