Wednesday, he held up the jersey and was introduced as the newest
member of the Philadelphia Phillies.
Then, he was placed on the 15-day disabled list, but that doesn’t really matter.
Phillies fans, say hello to Pedro Martinez.
At a press conference celebrating the resurgent ace’s a one-year, $1 million deal with the defending World Champions, he was honest about his expectations for himself.
“I might surprise you, I might not,” Martinez told the Associated Press. “It’s going to be really fun to go find out.”
Fun for whom? If Martinez submits the kind of performance he has for
the past two seasons in New York — when he won just eight games in 25
starts — there’s a possibility he may become familiar with the J.D. Drew treatment.
That certainly won’t be fun.
But there’s no time to dwell on negativity, because right now, the
Phillies have a new ace in the hole, even if he is 37 years old and
desperately searching for a comeback.
“I don’t expect to be the same Pedro I was when I was 26,” Martinez
said. “There’s still a lot of innings I’ve pitched since then. It’s not
the same, but I still feel like I can bring something to the table.”
Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. indicated that Martinez should be ready for big league action after two to three weeks in the minors.
Martinez will wear the number 45, just like he did during his days
with the Red Sox — which abruptly ended after the 2004 World Series.
Martinez was seeking a four-year deal, and Theo Epstein refused to bite because he had a theory the ace’s shoulder would start to break down within two years.
But Theo was crazy, right?
The Mets were willing to take the risk on Martinez — they gave him
the four-year deal he sought — and now, the Phillies are willing to
take a chance, too. After all, that’s what it takes to win.
“Of course, there’s some risk here,” Amaro told the AP. “But we’d
rather risk it on someone of his caliber and who knows how to win.”
