Dec 18, 2004 5 min read

NEW YORK (AP) – Often eccentric, occasionally erratic, Pedro Martinez brings some baggage with him to the New York Mets. On the plus side are three Cy Young Awards and the best earned run average (2.71) among active major league pitchers.

On the minus side are his age (33), whispers about wear and tear on his shoulder, which has logged nearly 2,300 innings in 12 full seasons, and a reputation for playing fast and loose with team rules.

Then there is the Mets’ track record for being burned by high-salaried, older players who turned out to be past their prime. There are still scars around Shea Stadium from the Bobby Bonilla, Vince Coleman, Mo Vaughn and Roberto Alomar experiences.

Nevertheless, the Mets invested $53 million over four years to sign Martinez, hoping he can spur a turnaround for the team that followed two last-place seasons by finishing next-to-last in 2004.

General manager Omar Minaya targeted Martinez, calling the right-hander “the best free agent pitcher in the market today.”

And Martinez was apparently swept off his feet by Minaya’s pursuit, something the pitcher said was in short supply from his previous employers, the world champion Boston Red Sox.

“I gave Boston every opportunity for three years to keep me,” Martinez said. “Why did they have to wait until the last minute? To wait until the last second wasn’t the right thing to do. Omar showed me respect and commitment.”

The commitment was contained in a fourth year on the contract, something the Red Sox were not willing to offer Martinez. Minaya, however, had no problem with it.

“The value of Pedro Martinez – no other free agent in the marketplace has that value,” Minaya said. “What he means to us in five years, 10 years. There are kids out there who will want to be with the Mets because of this signing. Pedro, thank you for coming to New York.”

Martinez, in an interview with the Boston Herald, said he left the Red Sox after seven years partly because he didn’t want to be second in the rotation behind Curt Schilling, who was acquired last offseason and helped the team win its first World Series championship in 86 years. Martinez criticized the negotiating tactics of Red Sox officials and urged owner John Henry to complete the deal.

“I told (Henry), ‘You want to sign me, get it done,” Martinez told the newspaper. “Please force them to get it done. I’m willing to stay here. Negotiate with them. I just don’t want to be under Schilling.”

Martinez seems intrigued with the idea of helping reconstruct the Mets. His other offers came from the World Series opponents, Boston and St. Louis. There also were conversations with the Yankees and Anaheim Angels.

“I know it’s going to be tough,” Martinez said at his news conference. “This is a team that needs a little help. I can supply some of that help. It’s a new challenge for me. I’m glad I made this decision.”

Martinez was enthusiastic and upbeat at a packed Shea Stadium news conference Thursday, in sharp contrast to the sometimes moody demeanor he displayed in Boston. It was clear, though, that he still feels some warmth for the Red Sox and their fans.

“When you talk about Boston, it’s important that everybody know I have all the love and respect for the people and the fans,” he said. “I have a lot of people who were good to me. In my heart, I will always hold the city of Boston.”

And, he said, performing on the big stage of New York did not worry him.

“If you can make it in Boston, you should be able to make it here,” he said. “In Boston, you can’t run and you can’t hide. I feel comfortable here.”

Martinez said he is ready to convert the sometimes hostile New York fans, who often targeted him in the heat of the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry.

“I have an opportunity to win the fans over,” he said. “I don’t know if I can, but I will try. I never got a (traffic) ticket. I never was in jail. Why would I be in bad shape with the city?”

There was, however, the matter of wrestling 72-year-old Yankees coach Don Zimmer to the ground during a playoff melee two years ago and a few hit batsmen along the way. New Mets manager Willie Randolph, then with the Yankees, remembers Martinez’s competitive edge and their occasional clashes.

“He’s passionate and I’m passionate,” the manager said. “Things were said, but after the game, we were cool.”

Martinez’s take-no-prisoners reputation made him a top priority for Minaya, who went after the pitcher hard and proudly introduced him, a kind of early Christmas present to New York.

“If you want to win, I’ll go to war with Pedro Martinez on my team,” the GM said.

If was that kind of sweet talk that lured Martinez to the Mets. The money, he said, was entirely secondary.

“I was a millionaire at 24,” Martinez said. “When I got to Boston, I made millions. You didn’t pick up a bum from the street.”