Phils Considering Pedro: Report
By DAN STAMM
Updated 1:05 PM EDT, Mon, Jul 6, 2009
The Phillies need another starting pitcher -- ideally a righty with some Major League experience. Normally teams need to trade to get such a guy but the Phillies could go a different route and pick up free agent Pedro Martinez to fill the gap.
The World Champs will scout Martinez in his native Dominican Republic -- possibly as early as Monday, according to Philly.com’s Andy Martino.
The team originally said no to wanting Pedro but with many teams in the Wild Card hunt and most of those teams looking for starting pitching the trade demands of the non-contenders could be too high for the Phils to meet.
Pedro, 37, was one of the greatest pitchers of the past two decades. He went an astounding 214-99 (.684 winning percentage) with a 2.91 ERA and 3,117 strikeouts over 17 Major League seasons with four different teams.
Most likely the best days passed the three-time Cy Young Award winner (he finished in the top five in CYA voting another four times) but that doesn’t mean he lost everything. But, the fact that last season he struggled to a 5-6 record with a 5.61 ERA while making only 20 starts for the Mets could mean that he doesn’t have it anymore.
But, maybe Martinez just pulled off his own version of the Roger Clemens sit out. He rested and got healthy during the first half of the season so that he could go all out and remain healthy for the second half.
Also, other teams will be scouting Pedro this week, according to Martino.
Another stumbling block to signing Pedro could be the cost. He never made less than $10 million a year since the late-90s and he might be looking for one last hefty payday.
Will the Phils sign Pedro? That remained unclear but at least General Manager Ruben Amaro Jr. took a look.
First Published: Jul 6, 2009 10:19 AM EDT on NBC Philadelphia
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