Where’s Pedro? Perhaps back in the big leagues at some point soon.
Pedro Martinez, the biggest-name free agent pitcher still on the table -- with apologies to Tom Glavine - is finally starting to draw some interest.
On Thursday, reports out of Tampa Bay and the Dominican Republic said that a representative of the Tampa Bay Rays watched Martinez throw.
Later, the Boston Globe added that the Cubs were also at the workout, and that both teams had “begun to at least explore how much money it would take to lure Martinez back to the mound.”
Money will be the key, of course. Martinez pitched well in the World Baseball Classic, and hoped for at least $5 million. No one bit, so Martinez waited.
Thursday’s Globe report claimed that Martinez threw his fastball at around 94 mph in his workout, which seems remarkable even if he only threw a few pitches. This makes me wonder though: are the Rays and Cubs looking at Pedro as a reliever? That might be a way to save his arm and keep him healthy throughout the season.