Pedro!

[Gregory Pratt]

I really doubt that Pedro's going to come back this year and light up the world. I hope so, but I have serious doubts about it.

 

It wasn't so long ago that Pedro Martinez was adrift in that no-man's land between the disabled list and retirement – still a member of the organization but in the outer limits of the Mets' consciousness.

 

They weren't just surviving Pedro's absence, they were living large. The Mets owned New York, if not the National League, Tom Glavine was in the fast lane to 300 wins and the rest of the starting rotation made everyone forget the best pitcher at Shea was on a lonely marathon rehab program in Port St. Lucie, Fla.

 

"Pedro who?" is what the Mets seemed to say without actually uttering those blasphemous words. Club officials were talking about him in the past tense, insisting they'd already gotten their money's worth from that four-year, $53 million contract – even though Pedro blew out his arm in just a year and a half.

 

But that was before the Mets started self-destructing, not just on the field but internally as well. Suddenly, the Mets need Pedro to stabilize their rotation, but even more significantly, they need his charisma.

 

"What's killing us is we don't have that energy on the field or in the clubhouse," is what Billy Wagner was saying during batting practice Wednesday. He was talking about the way the Mets have been pushed around lately, by the Dodgers, the Yankees, and by Johan Santana on Tuesday.

 

It's hard to believe the current meltdown – they've lost 13 of 16 after Wednesday night's 6-2 loss to the Twins – would've been this long or this ugly if Pedro had been around. Wagner said as much when he noted, "We don't have that one guy in here who guys get all excited about.

 

"Not even Glavine, the way he carries himself, does that. With Pedro, it's like his charisma rubs off on people. It's like, 'Yeah, Pedro's pitching today.' We could use that."

 

Funny how a roster blessed with five-tool players (Carlos Beltran), as well as ones who are articulate (Carlos Delgado), enthusiastic (David Wright) and fun-loving (Jose Reyes) can look so dead. But Wagner's right, there's no mistaking the missing spark. As much as it carried the Mets through the 2006 season, its absence has cost them most of their first-place lead in 2007.

 

That's where Pedro comes in. He's on schedule to return to Shea sometime in August, although no one's saying exactly when. Nor are the Mets crazy enough to think a rebuilt shoulder will mean Martinez will be throwing in the mid-90s again.

 

Even after he returns, Martinez will be in the process of healing; he won't be at 100 percent until 2008. Still, that didn't stop Pedro from bragging recently that he could throw harder than Roger Clemens, even on the disabled list. That's Pedro being Pedro – part of the reason you either love him or loathe him. Still, his rehab is ahead of schedule, and regardless of his radar-gun readings, the Mets will be happy just to get five to six strong innings from him.

 

It's an intoxicating thought for a rotation that has no ace lately. What remains to be seen is whether Martinez's return will impact Omar Minaya as the trade deadline approaches. So far, there've been casual, back-channel discussions with the White Sox about Mark Buehrle, and for good reason. The left-hander, who has averaged close to 16 wins a year for the last six seasons, will be a free agent this winter, and Chicago GM Kenny Williams wouldn't mind trading Buehrle at the July 31 deadline to a team that would end up renting him,. For a price, of course.

 

Although Williams has yet to make a formal request of Minaya, the Mets assume they'd have to cough up Lastings Milledge and one of a handful of blue-chip prospects such as Mike Pelfrey or Phillip Humber for Buehrle and Jermaine Dye – with only a small probability of being able to sign Buehrle as a free agent.

 

In essence, the Mets would be giving up Milledge's upside for two to three months of Buehrle – no small investment, if you believe Pedro is indeed coming back. Minaya is trying not to consider Martinez's health as a guarantee, but says, "If Pedro is even close before July 31, that's a comforting thought."

 

The other issue is an overcrowded rotation. Assuming Pedro reclaims his mantle as the Mets' ace, where would Buehrle fit? Who would he replace? And do the Mets really want to trade Milledge this year, after failing to make a similar swap for Barry Zito in 2006?

 

Insiders say it's unlikely Minaya will pay any kind of ransom for Buehrle, choosing instead to wait until Beltran heals, for Glavine to start hitting the corners again, for someone in the bullpen to take control of the eighth inning.

 

The clock is ticking on Pedro, too. He'll start throwing to Class A hitters in Port St. Lucie in another few weeks, then work his way through the minor league system until the shoulder is strong enough for a Shea homecoming.

 

It's been a long, miserable journey for Pedro; hours and days and weeks of monotonous exercises. You couldn't blame the Mets if they'd appeared to move on. But now they need Pedro more than ever, with or without his fastball.

 

They'll take whatever Martinez has, as long as that irrepressible personality – funny, vain, melodramatic, passionate and crazy – comes along for the ride.

[whitesox94]

QUOTE(Gregory Pratt @ Jun 21, 2007 -> 01:02 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I really doubt that Pedro's going to come back this year and light up the world. I hope so, but I have serious doubts about it.

 

 

What does he have left in him?

[Gregory Pratt]

That's the Key.

 

I know someone who thinks he just wants his two strikeouts and that's it. I doubt it, but it's possible, I guess.

 

I really think he should sit out the rest of this year. He won't be 100% when he returns, that's for sure, and it might be better for him to rest. He won't, and we'll see what he's got.

[CWSOX45]

Reports of New York say that Pedro is healthy and will be ready to pitch by the first week of August.

 

However, Omar Minaya is still shopping around for another starting pitcher and possibly some bullpen help.....

[Steve9347]

pedro will be back and he'll be good... in august.