According to ESPN's Jayson Stark, the New York Mets have considered bringing the 38-year-old righty back to Queens in 2010 and are, as he suggests, "continuing to kick around the idea internally."
One official with a club that reportedly had interest in Martinez told Stark that Pedro is looking for a better deal than Brad Penny got with the Cardinals, which means one year at $7.5 million, plus incentives. Unlike this past year, Martinez is hoping to pitch a full season in 2010.
Despite a solid performance for his native Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic last spring, Martinez went unsigned for the first few months of the major league season. In July, he signed a one-year, $1 million deal (plus incentives) with the Phillies and ended up pitching quite well in his shortened season, going 5-1 with a 3.63 ERA in nine regular-season starts.
He made three postseason starts for Philadelphia, as well, pitching seven innings of two-hit, shutout ball in the NLCS against the Dodgers. Martinez also made two World Series starts against the Yankees, losing both games and allowing seven earned runs and striking out 13 in 10 innings pitched.
And his relative success on the mound, coupled with his newfound health — Pedro struggled with injuries through his 2008 season with the Mets — resulted in a resurrection of sorts for Martinez's career.
"In the playoffs, Pedro was having fun again," his agent, Fernando Cuza, told FoxSports.com in November. "He was feeling no pain whatsoever. It was the first time in three years that he felt that way on the mound. Based on how he played, and how he responded, he's looking forward to playing next year."
