After becoming a co-owner of the Minnesota Timberwolves, baseball icon Alex Rodriguez looked to widen his business realm by planning to buy Italian card company Panini.

It seemed the deal was running smoothly, with Rodriguez hoping to merge his Slam Corp. with Panini. Until it wasn't. According to a report by the New York Post, the entry of a third company in the picture practically ended Rodriguez's plan. But it was a blessing in disguise.

A-Rod in mid-July was reportedly in talks to buy Panini. A few weeks ago, Panini rival Fanatics won an exclusive contract with Major League Baseball and its players association to make trading cards—hurting both Topps and Panini. That means A-Rod and his special purpose acquisition company, Slam Corp., are likely fortunate they never signed a binding agreement to acquire Panini, which just fell in value.

It appears the 46-year-old Rodriguez indeed dodged a bullet on that one. Fanatics will also replace Panini as the exclusive manufacturer of NBA cards in 2026.

It's not the first time a supposed deal fell through for the New York Yankees legend. Last year, he failed to buy the New York Mets with then-girlfriend Jennifer Lopez after losing to business tycoon Steve Cohen.

Still, all is not lost for Alex Rodriguez, who bought a 20 percent stake with the Timberwolves early this year, giving him prime dibs for the promising squad featuring Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards, and D'Angelo Russell. There are growing rumors as well that they could get Ben Simmons from the Philadelphia 76ers.