16 years after being traded away in the terrible Delino Deshields deal, Pedro Martinez is once again drawing interest to return to the place where it all started. After a strong showing for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic, GM Ned Colletti has acknowledged that there is some interest in both sides.
Before we get any further, I should note that this is just talk at this point, mostly because of the almighty $$$. Pedro won't accept something along the lines of $1 million, he wants more in the $5 million range. And unless that changes drastically, this just isn't going to happen.
To me, this comes down to how much Pedro really wants to pitch again. He's been quoted as saying that while he wants to pitch again, he'll only do so under terms he thinks are worthy of his talents. If not, he'll happily walk away for good.
Looking at the WBC for him, he looked really good. 6 innings, no runs, and 1 hit. That's it. Granted, it was against the Netherlands, but his fastball was described as being up to 92 and with "pop." Even if he was pitching against nobodies (who ironically beat a team full of Major Leaguers in the Dominican), we shouldn't get too carried away with it.
Suppose the sides get talking more seriously, then is it a good move? The 5th starter candidates right now are Jason Schmidt (terrible injuries the last 2 years), Eric Milton (close to washed up), Claudio Vargas (never came through on potential), and Shawn Estes (see Milton). Not exactly guys that will light the world on fire. Pedro would immediately catapult himself past those names.
It could be worth a shot. It would only be for a year, so why not? But if the Dodgers are that set on not spending more money, you can't blame them for not pulling the trigger. With concerns that Pedro wouldn't hold up all season, then it would probably be best to leave it alone.
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