TEJADA IN RED SOX?

The Sox are need of a shortstop, and coincidentally, Miguel Tejada wants out of Baltimore. A match made in heaven?

Speaking from the Dominican Republic today, the Orioles shortstop said he's unhappy with the team's direction and wants to be traded.

"I've been with the Orioles for two years and things haven't gone in the direction that we were expecting, so I think the best thing will be a change of scenery," Tejada said during a telephone interview in his native country.

The demonstrative, clubhouse leader, who won the 2002 AL MVP with Oakland, signed a $72 million, six-year contract with the Baltimore before the 2004 season.

A durable gamer, Tejada played in all 162 contests this year, hitting .304 with 26 home runs and 98 RBI. But the underperforming Orioles finished 21 games behind the Yankees and Red Sox in the AL East.

"I've done many things with this team and I haven't seen results, and the other teams are getting stronger while the Orioles have not made any signings to strengthen the club," said Tejada.

Most tantalizingly, Tejada specifically mentioned the possibility of coming to Boston to play for the Sox.

The Sox will likely examine any and all possibilities for obtaining Tejada, but trading players of his caliber within a division is uncommon. The Orioles would hate to see him come back to haunt them 19 times a year.

But there's always hope. He'd certainly look good in Red Sox.