Pedro

Martinez

Pedro is a free agent as at October 3rd, and he has given the Red Sox and the city of Boston mixed messages about his future with the club the past two seasons. Of course Martinez’s return to Beantown all depends how much money he wants. He doesn’t want to be “disrespected”. Stay tuned, as this is far from over.

“My left knee is barking a little,” he said Sunday. “But it’s nothing I can’t handle. I’m pretty healthy for this time of year.” Martinez will go up against Bartolo Colon in Game 2 of the ALDS.

The forecast for tomorrow is rain in Boston. If the game can be played, it will probably be slippery, and the Sox wouldn’t risk an injury to Pedro. The team has also been in contact with MLB about a rain-out contingency, which would probably result in a day-night doubleheader Saturday. Either way, it’s quite possible that Martinez will be pitching on Saturday instead of Friday.

That basically matches the deal Curt Schilling signed last year. According to the Globe, Martinez left the offer on the table for now. It’s likely that the Red Sox will have to guarantee the third year if they want to keep him.

“He was a great member of the Red Sox team for seven years, and a certain Hall of Famer,” Lucchino wrote in an e-mail. “He will be missed, and we are disappointed to have lost him to the Mets and the National League.” A deal will still have to be finalized with the Mets. The money may be essentially worked out, but Pedro will want his perks.

The signing bonus is spread out, and $10 million in salary from the last three years is deferred at 5 percent interest. In addition to his salary, Martinez will receive a luxury suite at Shea Stadium for every home game and a hotel suite on all road trips. He can earn millions in incentives, but he’ll need to win multiple Cy Young awards to make that happen.

“I only hope to honor my contract and to fulfill the expectations,” Martinez said on television in the Dominican Republic. “We got what we wanted. The team and I are happy with everything.” Some contract language still needs to be sorted out, and Martinez must pass his physical before the deal becomes official.

$50 million might have been matchable for Boston. $56 million probably won’t be. The Mets aren’t yet confirming there’s a deal in place.

Martinez told the Dominican newspaper Hoy that he wants stay with the Red Sox, but that if he leaves, he’d like to play for a manager like Felipe Alou (Giants), Tony La Russa (Cardinals) or Dusty Baker (Cubs).

It was a meeting set up prior to Pedro’s surprise visit with Yankees owner George Steinbrenner. It’s unclear if the Red Sox improved their offer to Martinez during negotiations. It’s likely that they’ll eventually guarantee him a third year, making the contract worth about $40 million, and unless Steinbrenner steps in with an offer -- something many within the Yankees organization would prefer he not do -- that might be enough to get a deal done.