That is to say: We love The Player To Be Named Later. And so does The Feed, which puts together a comprehensive history of the baseball-unique animal.

It isn't easy being a player named later. You're just sitting there enjoying an afternoon showing of "No Reservations" before dinner at the California Pizza Kitchen with a comely co-ed when, wham, you get a call on your cellphone and find out that you are the Player Named Later and need to be in Modesto by Friday. I don't envy their life.

We have a feeling, after a couple of starts, we'll be hoping The Player To Be Named Later in the Cardinals-Red Sox deal is ... Joel Pineiro.

The Ballad Of The Player Named Later [The Feed]