Although Pedro is having as much fun as he had in 2004, when he was a part of the Red Sox first World Championship since 1918, he does feel bad for the Mets, telling Brian Costa of the Star Ledger:

“I feel horrible for the guys, the players…I feel bad for the city, I feel bad for the fans. Everybody has ups and downs. The Mets had three pretty good years. We had a lot of talent, a lot of support, we let them down, and now this year, the health hasn’t been there. This year I thought they had everything they needed.”

…i feel horrible too, Peety…

Despite Pedro’s success with the Phillies, Jerry Manuel still stands by the Mets’ decision not to sign him, telling Costa:

“I thought we did all we could do. We just got hit so quickly by those injuries. Then we still had some people in place. We had Nieve who came in and pitched very well. We had a lot of things we thought were in place. We didn’t realize we were going to get hit at the degree that we got hit. You could never foresee that type of thing.”

…i personally didn’t think that any point the Mets should have signed Martinez in 2009, but I have to question what Manuel is saying here only because when Nieve went down, Perez and Maine were already down, Pelfrey was under performing, and Santana was not exactly Santana…so how can one argue not to sign any pitcher to help…i know Pedro is a risk and probably did not fit into the Mets plans, but it’s hard for me to stand by that…

…i guess in other words, the Mets simply didn’t want Pedro…

…i am not sure, but i think that may put him on schedule to face the Mets, when the Phillies come to Citi Field the following weekend…

Martinez told reporters at Citizens Bank Park:

“I was hoping the Mets would make a move…and they didn’t, so I decided to wait. It wasn’t my decision to not be in New York. It was someone else’s.”

…I am very sentimental towards Martinez and at first, when Maine and Perez went down I thought the Mets should take a look at him, but in the end I felt that it was probably the right thing for them to move on despite the pitching problems the team has had…

…that said, I never thought he would end up with the Phillies and if he does get an opportunity to pitch at Citi Field, I am curious as to how well he would be received by the fans, given the uniform he would be wearing…

SNY

The press conference is scheduled for 12:00 pm EDT today.

Update, 1:45 p.m. by Regis Courtemanche:

Pedro Martinez during today’s press conference commented on the Mets’ interest in re-signing him:

“I was hoping the Mets would make a move and they didn’t, so I decided to wait. It wasn’t my decision to not be in New York. It was someone else’s.”

“I knew that one of the teams would need pitching at this time, so I waited. I actually was able to jump into first place without throwing a ball. I’m really glad I’m here. The Mets are gonna go their way, I’m gonna go with Philly in my way. I just have to continue on, no grudges.”

On his time with the Mets:

“I have a lot of respect for the Mets organization. I have nothing to say but God bless them, wish them well, I hope they all get healthy and come back and compete.”

About the Mets-Phillies rivalry, and if he will have extra motivation to beat the Mets:

“I would love to tell you that, but I can’t hide love, and I have love for those people. I can’t do anything with the hate you have for the Mets fans. That’s between you guys.”

The Phillies will place Pedro Martinez on the 15-day disabled list with a mild shoulder strain.

…I wonder if he will be any impact at all for the Phillies after seeing this…

Original Post:

In an article for MLB.com, Todd Zolecki writes that Pedro Martinez has officially signed with the Philadelphia Phillies after passing a physical earlier today.

The one-year deal is reportedly worth $1 million, plus $1.5 million in incentives.

…I love Pedro, but this is the last team I wanted him to join…

Martinez is reportedly on his way to Philadelphia for a physical, and is close to signing a pro-rated one year deal.

…now that this is out there, it usually only takes a matter of time for the likes of Ken Rosenthal, Buster Olney, Jon Heyman, etc., to either confirm or deny the report…

…but, from what i can gather, the Phillies are dishing out no comments, suggesting there might be truth to this, and they’re just waiting to make an announcement…

Update, 5:10 pm:

In a post to his Twitter, MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki writes Phillies GM Ruben Amaro declined to comment when asked about the report in Candela Deportiva.

Update, 5:45 pm:

In a post to Twitter, SI.com’s Jon Heyman said he has heard Martinez is in serious negotiations with the Phillies, but he cannot confirm the Candela Deportiva that a deal is done.

Update, 6:47 pm:

According to Heyman, who talked to Martinez’s agent, Martinez will have final decision by Sunday.

Update, 6:50 pm:

…by the way, the buzz from people who are connected to martinez say the any deal is likely to be around $1.75 million, which sounds like $4 million pro-rated over two or three months...

...frankly, i still think i’d rather Jon Niese…

Update, 8:47 pm:

Martinez has agreed to throw for the Phillies for a second time, ‘to see how his arm responds,’ reports Jayson Stark on ESPN.com.

According to the report, “Amaro denied reports a deal was done, but confirmed the team’s interest in the three-time AL Cy Young Award winner.”

However, Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times believes, though the Angels scouted Martinez last Friday, they have ‘no interest’ in pursuing him due to ‘baseball reasons, not financial ones.’

According to Shaikin, citing baseball sources, “Martinez’s fastball was clocked most often in the 85-mph range.”

Shaikin reports the Dodgers are not interested in Martinez as well, and have not discussed him since spring training.

Martinez held a workout last Friday in the Dominican Republic, though there are questions as to whether he ever attended, and which teams stayed to watch, according to MLB Trade Rumors.

…for what it’s worth, i find zero evidence the Mets attended martinez’s supposed workout… i really don’t think they have much interest in bringing him back, mostly due to the money…

…the buzz around baseball suggests martinez is seeking around $2.5 million, to essentially pitch for two months…

According to Buster Olney, in a post to his blog last week for ESPN.com, the Mets can add roughly $5 million to their payroll.

Joel Sherman of the New York Post believes the Rays were looking to Martinez to be a relief pitcher, then explains why this is not likely to happen.

Meanwhile, in the Chicago Sun-Times, Gordon Wittenmyer explains why it is unlikely Martinez will end up with the Cubs, who do have interest.

Wittenmyer reports Martinez is still seeking the prorated equivalent of $5 million per season.

…i’m thinking that is essentially $30,000 per game on the roster… so, let’s say he’s on the roster July 15, figuring he needs time to work back in to form, that would be about $1.8 million for two and a half months, or roughly 10 starts…

In a report for SNY.TV, Ted Berg explains, “If there’s any move the Mets should make immediately, though, it’s this: Sign Pedro Martinez.”

…i am still undecided on if the Mets should go after pedro, but the thought of him on the Yankees makes me squirm…