FanHouse Kevin Cash

Over the last few weeks Rangers catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia has been hearing rumors that he may end up being traded to the Boston Red Sox this winter. The Rangers are rather crowded behind the plate, as they also have Gerald Laird and Taylor Teagarden, and a trade of one of them would make sense.

Well, while nothing is set in stone as to which one the Rangers are going to trade, that hasn't stopped Jarrod from sharing his feelings on the situation. He's not exactly trying to hide the sheer excitement he feels when he pictures himself in a Red Sox uniform.

"That would be a dream come true," said Saltalamacchia, 23. "I'd love to go there and either work under Jason [Varitek] for a year or two or just go there and catch full-time.

"I love watching Jason. He's like an idol of mine. I watch him and I learn from him and I'd love to be able to spend time with him. I saw him this year and we talked for a while and I learned so much from him in the short time we had."

Jarrod also goes on to say he'd welcome the trade because it would give him a chance to catch more often than he does in Texas. Of course, I'm not sure Jarrod realizes that if the Red Sox trade for him and also re-sign Varitek, they'll have three catchers as well. Well, unless Jarrod can show he knows how to catch a knuckleball and the team parts ways with Kevin Cash, which I don't see happening.

When Paul Byrd was traded from the Indians to the Red Sox earlier this week, he faced the prospect of having to find a new uniform number: the No. 36 that Byrd sported with the Tribe was already claimed by Kevin Cash. Fortunately for Byrd, though, it didn't take much convincing for Cash to cough it up. From the Boston Globe:

"I owe him something,'' said Byrd."I hear he's a boots guy so I'll have to get him a pair of boots, maybe a watch. It was real nice. I don't know if the number is important to him but it's been my number for a while so it's awfully nice of him to give it up.''

So what's the deal, did Byrd want his old uniform number because of some crazy superstition? Umm ... not quite.

Byrd added that he had no superstitions about the number 36, just that he liked it and had worn it for a long time. "It's involved in some of my passwords on the computer so if I switched numbers I'd have to change all that up -- no good.''

Yeah, no good at all. Part of me wants to get all geeky and lecture everyone about how they should change their passwords every month, but seriously, no one changes their passwords. Like, ever. And when you're on the road stuck in a hotel room late at night and you're missing your wife, well, there's nothing worse than having a computer and forgetting the password to all your favorite sites.

Baseball Prospectus notes an interesting last-minute lineup change for the Boston Red Sox today: Terry Francona, apparently concerned with the status of Tim Wakefield's back, has decided not to include Wakefield on the postseason roster. Instead, catcher Kevin Cash will be on the squad.

According to BP, Francona made the decision because Cash allows for greater flexibility, including for speedster Jacob Ellsbury, who Francona expects to use in plenty of pinch running situations.

(UPDATE: This is only for the ALDS, pending Wakefield's condition. Phew. And now back to my premature whining.)

Where this leaves us, though, is with a severe lack of Tim Wakefield. Thus, allow me, if I may, an attempt at a proper eulogy: when Wakefield is on -- and that's about a 50/50 proposition -- there is nothing in baseball more aesthetically captivating than watching Wakefield float knuckler after knuckler past confused hitters. That we will lose that pleasure this year, or lose the equally thrilling threat of a Wakefield stinker, is already the biggest disappointment of the postseason.

Well, except for that Matt Holliday slide. That really sucked.