On the Block
As pitchers get injured, teams could look to veteran arm of Pedro Martinez
As the 2009 baseball season begins, injuries are already piling up on many teams, and it’s only three weeks in.
Following injuries to John Lackey, Kelvim Escobar and Ervin Santana as well as the tragic death of rookie Nick Adenhart, the Angels have already used eight starters this season.
The Blue Jays are down four starting pitchers, and the Padres have seen three of their starters knocked out the rotation by injury.
But there is no question that as the baseball season wears on, team will inevitably start trawling the waters of unsigned free agent pitchers.
These teams refuse to look outside their organization for the answer. But as pitchers continue to go down and the season wears on, teams may begin to muse about the unsigned free agent pitchers especially former Cy Young winner Pedro Martinez.
Last season with the Mets, Martinez went 5-6 with a 5.61 ERA in 20 starts, his first full season coming off shoulder surgery. He has been limited with injuries the past three seasons working only 269 2/3 innings.
However, the veteran looked good at his showcase stint at the World Baseball Classic, where he pitched six scoreless innings of one-hit ball.
The only hindrance to Pedro being signed is his price reported at $5 million for a one-year deal. If the 37-year-old was willing to pitch for a lesser club and was willing to drop his price, Martinez would be snatched up in a second.
So will it be the Dodgers, Angels, Padres, Mets, Indians, Nationals, or Rangers that seal the deal?
Ashley is a senior journalism student at the University of Florida, pursuing a career in sports journalism. She believes that life without baseball is no life at all.