Matthew Cerrone

Starting Pitcher: Pedro to Pitch in 2009
By Matthew Cerrone - Nov 18, 2008 10:52 am

Pedro Martinez will pitch in 2009, reports  Jon Heyman at SI.com and Adam Rubin in the Daily News, both citing the player’s agent, Fern Cuza.

According to Heyman, ‘Multiple teams already have checked in about Martinez,’ says Cuza, who added:

“I think the Mets are a possibility.  They know him better than most… They know the condition he’s in.  They know about the personal problems that affected him last year.  When Pedro’s healthy, he’s one of the best, and he’s healthy.”

However, Rubin writes, “A Mets official wouldn’t rule out Martinez returning, assuming his contract demands are modest.”

i don’t know…i have a soft spot in my baseball mind for pedro…i do…it’s just, the Mets need to move on from the last two seasons some place, some how, and if not with players like martinez, then who…who will not be back, to differentiate next season from the last two…also, i’m tired of the Pedro Martinez Diagnostic Test…you know, after every single start he makes, it’s not about whether the team wins or loses, it’s about how pedro feels, how is his arm, his mental state, his stuff, was the mound high enough, did he prepare properly, etc…it never ends

88 Responses to “Starting Pitcher: Pedro to Pitch in 2009”

  1. atlantasnumber1metsfan says:

    I love Petey…but I think enough is enough…

    • gowrightgo says:

      I agree with some others that Pedro is an option for the rotation next year.

      Lets say this scenario was possible. Pedro is resigned for a 1 year deal at $4M with incentives that can earn him another $4M for innings pitched and things of the like. Can even create a vesting option for another year with a similar deal.

      Pedro was not only recovering last year from his shoulder issues which he seemed to get over….but his father died in the middle of the season. I do not care who you are. If your father dies…you are affected.

      I’d take a flyer on him next year if he was game for the kind of deal mentioned above.

      I would not let it affect how I approached going after the top starting pitcher target which should be Lowe, Burnett or Vasquez in my opinion.

    • TRex23 says:

      Agreed.

      NO, NO, NO and NO.

      He is DONE. He’s been done for a couple of years now.

      I’m tired of hearing some stupid baseball analyst say, “Well, you know Pedro. As long as he’s healthy he’ll figure out a way to get guys out.” Yeah, right, while he’s throwing 80 mph.

      It’s time to turn the page. He can only hurt the Mets because the Mets would only sign him if they planned on relying on him and if the Mets have to rely on him, they will be sunk.

    • NYMet5 says:

      I agree, I love Pedro but I kinda agree that enough is enough too but I just got this feeling that says he is gonna be a different pitcher next year. No, not the Pedro of 5-6 years ago but an effective Pedro. I want and would love to see Pedro come back, the Mets biggest problem last year wasn’t Pedro. It was the bullpen period! Maybe Pedro could do some of that too>??

    • metsfrenzy says:

      I agree but it’s time to move on. thanks for the memories Pedro and good luck

  2. whynot1 says:

    The problem with Pedro is that he was supposedly healthy at some points and did not show “he’s one of the best.”

  3. KickedintheMetsiclesAgain says:

    Wow…. Matt, my post got blocked because I used the workd P-A-S-S-E-D. that is so wrong. Matt, this is the offseason, time to upgrade this site.

    Anyway, back to my post.

    I think Pedro has the makings of this years Tatis.

    Another year p-a-s-s-e-d his surgery and one year p-a-s-s-e-d his dad’s death.

    If anyone has the making of a Tatis II; it is he!

  4. bkfitz says:

    Pedro would make a great batting practice coach.

    Seriously though, I don’t want him back. I don’t want to hear “When Pedro comes back…” ever again. I heard it more than enough times over the past 3 years.

  5. Tidewater says:

    Again, I take issue with the notion of moving on. By that measure, let’s trade Johan and Wright. Then we won’t look at all like the last two season.

    No. What we need is improvement. If the Mets determine Pedro is the best option to be the #4 guy, then they should re-sign him. If there are better options that fit their needs and budget, they should pursue them.

    • Razor Shines says:

      No, not #4. He can be our incentive-ladened #5 with Niese getting more AAA starts behind him. No way we can go with a rookie Niese, Pelfrey off his one good year, Maine off surgery and Pedro in the same rotation.

  6. TugTheMan says:

    if the contract demands are fair and reasonable, Pedro as the team’s fifth starter would be great.

    • gowrightgo says:

      agreed. Pedro has velocity of 90-91mph on the fastball and he got people out. Big time hitters out. He just seemed incapable of starting a game without giving up 3 runs in the first inning. He would settle down and go 6 but we would be in the hole right away and the pen later on would make it worse.

      • metsfrenzy says:

        Just out of curiosity which pedro were you watching this year. The one I saw barely could get it to 85 and last 5 innings. It’s over - let’s move on. And don’t tell me about Randy johnson-we saw him in NY with the other team.

        There are other options-Omar needs to find them. Sanatan-Pelfrey-Maine?-Niese- Get a reasonable 2-3 we don’t know about Maine but there are other options.

  7. alex242 says:

    PLEASE NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! Ican’t stand how this guy, alou, castillo and el duque robbed the mets of closely 100 millions combine!!! no more !!!

    • KickedintheMetsiclesAgain says:

      Guess you never came to a Pedro game.

      There were easily 5-7 thousand more fans in the stadium on days he pitched (at least for the first 2 years).

      He loves the mets and the Mets fans love him.

      • alex242 says:

        as a matter of fact i did… look, i’m dominican, and i loved him, but what minaya has done to the mets in terms of signing the past 2 years is an abomination!! alou played 90 games in 2007.. el duque was hurt and he picked up the option.. castillo.. ugh.. and if boston was giving pedro a 2 year contract he didn’t have to overwhelm him with 4 years to come here… pedro should’ve never been here for more than 3… again, i am from dr but i’m also a mets fan.. pedro no more!!!

        • KickedintheMetsiclesAgain says:

          whether or not you are dominican is not at issue here.

          Pedro is a fan favorite of all fans of all ethnicities.

        • alex242 says:

          i said that in case anybody brought those points as a racial issue.. pedro WAS a fan favorite but in boston and he’s helped out our community a ton, but he’s way past his prime, and believe me when i tell u, no mets fan in their right mind would consider this guy anymore.. have you checked his stats the las 3 years??? are u serious!!!

        • chaseh says:

          KickedintheMetsiclesAgain is correct. The first two seasons Pedro was a zero sum cost, as the higher ticket sales covered the contracts.

        • alex242 says:

          agree, so why not bring back alou as well, he was a fan favorite too.. remember.. ALOUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!1

        • chaseh says:

          It’s not the same thing. It wasn’t just Pedro being a fan favorite, but actually selling many more seats when he started.

      • metsfrenzy says:

        Great see him at the next old timers game… Look the fans love Seaver, Cone and Koosman-should we trot them out to. We need a productive pitcher so we don’t have to rely on our bullpen. haven’t we learned that yet???

  8. redmarauder07 says:

    Santana
    Lowe/Burnett
    Pelfrey
    Maine
    Martinez/Niese (when Pedro is injured)

    Pedro would be one of the best 5th starters in baseball. He’s just not the #2 anymore. My gut tells me he’s going to turn things around this year. Not quite 1999 or even 2006 form…but significantly better than last year.

    • guierllNO MOta says:

      exactly…all these id-iots on this site want to somehow sign 2 FA pitchers but Niese better still start!!! i mean…huh? we only need one starter and then let Pedro (or Freddy Garcia, Colon, or some other band-aid pitcher) hold the spot till Niese is ready, and if they pitch well its an added bonus

      Some fans are just too warped by fantasy baseball (or the Yankees) to think logically.

      • HitTheSinkerBall says:

        Also these same fans want the Mets to

        a) Sign all these big time FA like CC, AJ, Lowe, Tex just to name a few

        at the same time the Mets are doing this they also want the Mets to

        b) To trade for big name players like Peavy etc etc etc

        at the same time they don’t want the Mets to

        c) trade players like Neise Murphy etc etc etc

        Bottom line is next year Pedro is not a bad number 5 at all. He is not what he use to be but still is better then the Garlands, and Silvas. Why not give him a one year deal? Maybe his personal problems affected him this year more then we no. Maybe they did not and he is just at the end. But a one year deal is not a bad move.

        Depth in the rotation is never a bad thing. You can still sign Garland or Garcia or trade for a Vasquez and have them work out of the bullpen. To have Neise in triple A or even as a trade chip for a LF or bullpen help is not a bad thing. Say what you want but Pedro is a great leader and brings allot of spark and energy to the Mets. He is a great mentor for the young guys like Pelf, Maine, and if they resign Perez.

        If they don’t resign Pedro fine not a big deal but if they do sign him I don’t see how you can say it is a bad move.

  9. grotesmask says:

    No, unless he could be a BP guy. C’mon, he’s so injury-prone at this point. His “good health” means nothing realistically. He’s always a pitch away from the disabled list.

    He’s a great guy, but I suspect he’s finished

  10. guierllNO MOta says:

    this is a no-brainer:

    If Pedro will sign a 1 year deal for a couple mil, then resign him, it cant hurt, heck as long as its a 1 year deal for whatever amount, absolutely…what are you gonna just hand a spot over to Niese….how’d that work for Pelfrey for 2 years….

    And if Pedro fails, either cut him and your losses or throw him in the pen, where we always need extra guys…and/or keep him on the bench as a “coach” and activate him when necessary…it can never hurt to have a HOFer on the team….as long as its a 1 year deal.

  11. Razor Shines says:

    People do forget how great he was in 2005 when healthy and the beginning of 2006 when healthy, and then he slipped in the dugout in SD and has not been the same since. Even if he does come back healthy you don’t know if it’s just over for him or not, and it’s quite a risk to take.

    That said, if you get a top #4 along the lines of Perez or similar, and hang on to Niese as your #6 in AAA, Pedro could be your #5 with incentive-filled contract. I hate to use this past year as a barometer since we failed to reach the playoffs, but the rotation was not the problem and we essentially went into this season the same way, with El Duque as the #5 and Pelfrey as the #6 guy who stepped in once El Duque was hurt. The difference this year is that Pelfrey is in the rotation as the #2 now, instead of Pedro, and Pedro slides down to #5.

    • mark4212 says:

      Pelfrey shouldn’t be the #2…. Yet. He might end the year as the Mets 2nd best pitcher, but I do not want to Rely on him as the #2 just yet. He still has a below 500 career record, and at one point last year was 0-9. Yes he had a tremendous 2nd half, and I think he is going to take another step forward this year. He has the same makeup as Brandon Webb. But This year i want him as the #3 with whatever Free-Agent slotting in the #2. Hopefully someone good, or he will be forced there.

      Pedro as the #5 would be a low-risk high reward move. Look at Mike Mussina last year. He was older, and no yankee wanted him at that point. But he had to lead to pitch without having the same stuff he used to. I’d rather see Pedro there at least to start the year, then an unproven even at the AAA level Neise. Let Neise get some work in AAA and if he’s needed call him up when/if someone gets hurt, or for double headers. No need to rely on him this year.

  12. PeterDragon says:

    It’s all about cost benefit.
    Pedro on a low cost 1 ;yr deal would be good as #5- with Niese, Vargas, etc as backup.
    What is the downside?

    the key is not to rely on him

  13. seattle steve says:

    Is Pedro done… most likely but as a 5th starter and a draw sign him for an incentive laden contract… its better than Lima time or Nelson F.

  14. DaveSchneck says:

    Pedro had trouble hitting 90 last year, and is always one good sneeze away from 2 months on the DL . It’s over, Johnny. Time to move on. I’d rather see Stokes as the #5 than Pedro.

  15. Dirtysanchez says:

    Ive always liked pedro(bought his jerzy the day he was signed in 05). If he makes a modest contract req i think it wont hurt to sign him up. Like most people have said just dont depend on him. Have niese(if he is still here) ready to take over once pedro gets injured.

  16. oleosmirf says:

    Santana
    Lowe
    Pelfrey
    Maine
    Pedro

    If Pedro can just get 5-6 IP at 3 runs or less and throw a gem once in a while i’ll take that from the #5 starter

    plus what young pitcher coming up couldnt learn a thing or 2 from Pedro.

  17. FlightFromHouston says:

    bring him back on the cheap.