Bring Pedro Home

Pedro Martinez, originally uploaded by Bestman Productions.

Ordinarily, I am a big advocate of the Dodgers saving a few bucks, but Pedro Martinez is a unique case. The fifteen seasons since Fred Claire dealt Ramon's kid brother to the Expos have been brutal. Therefore, word that he has gotten old enough for the current regime is a breath of fresh air:

Although manager Joe Torre said the Dodgers have yet to speak to Martinez's representatives, general manager Ned Colletti acknowledged potential interest in Martinez in an interview with the Los Angeles Times.

"He's someone we're curious about,'' Colletti told the paper.

Pedro projects to start maybe 14 games and throw about 100 innings. His $5 million asking price does seem a bit stiff for that level of production. However, the prospect of removing the hex from the franchise is easily worth it.

Since they traded Pedro, the Dodgers have had three owners, six general managers and seven field managers. In the fifteen years before trading Pedro, the Dodgers had one owner, two general managers and one field manager. In the fifteen years before trading Pedro, the Dodgers won their division five times, appeared in the World Series three times and won two championships. In the fifteen years since trading Pedro, the Dodgers have won their division three times and have advanced to the NLDS a grand total of once.