In Defense of Pedro

Misunderstood genius? Decrepit bust? Odd looking skinny man who reeks of mangoes? Since the spring of 2005, our Yankee fan/bitter Red Sox fan/Met hating friends have been telling us how shitty an idea it was to offer Pedro Martinez a four year contract. "He's too old." "He's washed up." "He'll break down after a year." I mean, how fucking ridicul - oh. Wait, shit. Well, fine - the inevitable Pedro rotator cuff/calf (calf?!?) blowout occurred earlier than we thought during last year's playoff run, but Petey's playing ability was not the driving force behind the signing in the first place. While we do not speak for all Mets fans, we like to think that those in the know are like us, and can appreciate that Omar Minaya's signing of Pedro was not about overpaying for an aging ace, but rather resurrecting a franchise.

It is no coincidence that the Mets' resurgence is tied almost directly to the day they signed Pedro. Except for heartthrobs All-Stars David Wright and Jose Reyes, the current collection of Mets are the direct result of the chain reaction started by Pedro. Carlos Beltran signed with the Mets because of Pedro. Carlos Delgado signed with the Mets (eventually) because of Pedro and Beltran. Billy Wagner, Paul Lo Duca, Moises Alou and others followed suit.

Not only that, but other Latinos decided that, because of Pedro, they now loved the Mets too. Twenty-one year old prospect Carlos Gomez, who by all accounts is the fucking bomb, has said that he signed with the Mets because of Pedro. Since they do not have professional teams of their own to root for, Latin American fans tend to follow whatever team their favorite players are playing for. Omar has been able to exploit the fickleness of his fellow Dominicans by opening baseball academies in the Dominican to reap the bounties that the beautiful country has to offer: middle infielders and lanky pitchers. Al Leiter certainly did not have this kind of pull.

Besides this obvious organizational impact, Pedro's numbers compared to pitchers with similar contracts are actually pretty good. For example:

Gil Meche

The Royals, of all teams, rewarded this stiff with an $11 million per year contract for having a "breakout" season with the Mariners last year: 11-8, 4.48 ERA, 24 HRs allowed. This contract makes Mo Vaughn seem like a bargain.

A.J. Burnett

Remember when he was considered really good? Yeah, we don't either. Over the last three years he's 29-26 with a high 3s ERA. We guess in Canada those numbers are good enough for $12 million per year over last four years of his contract.

Carl Pavano

This is kind of a dick inclusion, but the Carl Pavano Era in the Bronx should be enough to keep Pedro's name out of Yankees fans' mouths until Pavano is dead. Not only did he not pitch last year, but Pavano totally blows, save for his '04 season with the Marlins. He's 61-64 for his career with a 4.27 ERA. And anyone who thinks that he has anything left in the tank to justify $10 million, $11 million and $13 million contracts he has coming to him over the next three years is just an asshole.

Pedro will be back at some point this year. Or in time for the playoffs. Whatever, it doesn't matter. Pedro has already done enough for this franchise. We hope for a quick return, but in the meantime, may all his mangoes taste like Scarlett Johansson's vagina.