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Pedro Martinez open to anybody,’ even Dodgers
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Boston Red Sox ace Pedro Martinez, who had always said he would
never consider returning to the Los Angeles Dodgers, now has an
open mind about it. Martinez, in an interview with reporters
covering the Red Sox on Friday night, said he would definitely
enter the free-agent market next winter and instructed agent
Fernando Cuza to tell the Red Sox he would not negotiate during the
remainder of the season.
The 32-year-old right-hander, a three-time Cy Young Award winner
who is baseball’s highest-salaried pitcher at $17.5 million,
accused the Red Sox of lying about the status of contract
negotiations and trying to drive down his price by unfairly raising
questions about the condition of his right shoulder.
“That bothered me a little because that was dirty playing
after I promised I was going to keep my mouth shut about the
negotiations,” said Martinez, who is 3-2 after being hit hard
by the Texas Rangers on Saturday. He added: “I just
don’t like people lying, trying to fake that they’re
signing us when they never made an effort strong enough to make us
think about anything.”
Martinez did not rule out negotiating with the Red Sox when the
season is over, but he said he would now consider any team,
including the Dodgers.
“The Dodgers don’t have the same people that were there
when I was mistreated,’’ he said. “I’m open
to anybody, just as I am open to anybody in the future.”
The Dodgers traded Martinez to the Montreal Expos for second
baseman Delino DeShields in November 1993. Then-General Manager
Fred Claire has always taken responsibility for what became one of
the worst transactions in club history, but Martinez has also put
responsibility on Manager Tom Lasorda for influencing
Claire’s thinking that Martinez was too frail to be either a
regular starter or dependable reliever.
Lasorda remains with the Dodgers as a senior vice president. Dr.
Frank Jobe, who operated on Martinez’s left shoulder in 1992
and has acknowledged that he told Claire that Martinez could be
vulnerable to physical problems, also remains with the club as a
team physician.
Milton Bradley (sprained left ankle) was out of the starting lineup
for a second consecutive game, but he took batting practice
right-handed and was available as a pinch-hitter. Bradley, who
could return Sunday, played six games in pain after injuring the
ankle April 21.
But Bradley left Thursday’s game against the New York Mets
after the sixth inning because “it hurt a lot and I
couldn’t take it no more. I’ve never sprained it like
this.”
ss Newhan and Ben Bolch
Los Angeles Times
LAT-WP