New York may after all catch Pedro Martinez, who spent seven years with the Boston Red Sox and finally made it to the World Series winning team in 2004. The Major Leagues website (mlb.com) reports today that the National League’s Mets have offered Martinez a four-year deal worth some US$56 million. The Mets outbid the Sox at the last minute by adding a lucrative option for 2008.
Omar Minaya, the Mets spokesman, said that before the signing, Martinez would have to pass a physical. The 33-year-old right-hander suffered a small tear in the labrum of his pitching shoulder in 2001 and opted to treat the injury with a strength and conditioning program, rather than surgery.
Martinez holds a 117-win and 37-loss record from 1998-2004, with a 2.52 ERA for the Sox. His performance declined last season, when he went 16-9 with a career-high 3.90 ERA. He also won three American League Cy Young Awards. MLB.com says that the Mets may also pursue Moises Alou. Martinez lured fellow Dominicans Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz to Boston, and the threesome were key to the winning of the 2004 World Series, its first in 86 years.