Red Sox: What if the Sox re-signed Pedro Martinez after 2004?
Discussing what the Boston Red Sox could have looked like in 2005 if management had retained Pedro Martinez’ services until the end of his career.
There is simply no question that Pedro Martinez was one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball in the mid-90’s going into the mid-2000’s. Pedro’s 1999 campaign with the Boston Red Sox is remembered as being one of the most dominant single season performances in the sport. It’s easily one of the top-5 going back the last quarter century.
Martinez sported a 23-4 record in 29 starts with a 2.07 ERA and also struck out 313 batters in 213 1/3 innings pitched. He added a crazy low 37 walks and conceded only 9 home runs. Those are mind boggling numbers.
Not convinced? Pedro had a .923 WHIP that season and had a 13.2 K/9 ratio. Pedro won his second Cy Young in three years for the Red Sox at seasons end.
After spending seven great years in Boston, the Red Sox offered him a 3-year deal worth $40.5 million with a vesting fourth year option worth $13.5 million, making his entire contract value rise to $54 million. Boston thought that they had made a very fair offer to Pedro and thought that he was locked in to finish his career in Beantown.
Unfortunately, due to a last minute offer from the New York Mets, Martinez ended up signing a guaranteed 4-year deal worth $54 million. The only difference between the deals? The Mets guaranteed his 2008 season. Did the Sox make a mistake? Was the compensation pick the Sox drafted worth losing Pedro over?
Pedro before joining the Sox
Before coming to Boston from Montreal, Pedro had two years of good baseball and two stellar years as a member of the Expos. Martinez never saw his ERA come below 3.00 the first three years in Montreal. His fourth year however was the signal of something special to come.
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In his final year before leaving for Boston, Pedro went 17-8 with a 1.90 ERA with 305 K’s in 241 1/3 innings pitched. He added a .932 WHIP and 11.2 K/9 ratio good for the 3rd best mark in his career. 1997 also marked the first of three Cy Young Awards for Pedro.
As mentioned before, Pedro spent his most dominant years in Boston. From his rookie season through is Red Sox years, Pedro won at least 10 games in 12 out of 13 seasons, including a span of eight from 1993 until 2000. Winning ten games in a season is hard enough considering the potential hiccups that could arise during the season and Pedro won 77 games from 1997 until 2000 averaging 19.25 wins a season. Averaging a 20-win season for four years is remarkable. It’s a further testament to Pedro’s ability.
Pedro’s numbers in Boston
As a member of the Red Sox? Pedro’s first three seasonal numbers went as follows:
- Numbers in BOLD denote League lead
1998:
Record – 19-8
ERA – 2.89
K’s – 251
Innings Pitched – 233 2/3
1999:
Record – 23-4
ERA – 2.07
K’s – 313
Innings Pitched – 213 1/3
2000:
Record 18-6
ERA – 1.74
K’s – 284
Innings Pitched – 217
1998 – 2000 Totals:
Record – 60-17
ERA – 2.25
K’s – 848
Innings Pitched – 664
SEASON AVERAGE – 20-6 Record 2.25 ERA 283 K’s 221 Innings Pitched
Pedro’s Career Boston Red Numbers:
Record – 117-37
Win % – .760
ERA – 2.52
K’s – 1683
Innings Pitched – 1383 2/3
K/9 Ratio – 10.9
For a three year increment, few players meant more to their teams than Pedro meant to Boston. Taking in an injury riddled season in 2001, Pedro bounced back to have three more great years in Boston, winning 20 games in 2002. Martinez also twice led the league in ERA (2.26 – 2002 & 2.22 – 2003) and added 200+ strike outs each season leading the league in 2002 with 239 K’s. Late 90’s going into early 2000’s domination started and ended with Pedro Martinez in the American League.
Martinez struck out 200+ batters every year except for 2001 when he only started 18 games and still managed 163 K’s. A 12.9 K/9 ratio certainly helped and Pedro was still Pedro as he managed a 7-3 record and 2.39 ERA. No other pitcher made a bigger impact in baseball in that time in the AL.
In 2004, after seven years of playing for the Red Sox, Pedro finally won a World Series ring. The Sox total investment over seven years cost them $92 million. Talk about a bargain.
Pedro post-Boston
Post-Boston? Pedro was never as good after his seven year stint with the Red Sox. He went on to sign a 4-year deal worth $54 million with the Mets. P-Mart went on to win more than 10 games just one time after playing with the Sox, in 2005 with 15 wins.
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After an injury riddled 2007 and 2008 season, Pedro returned for one more season, this time as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies, before finally calling it a career at the age of 37. Pedro went 5-1 in Philly winning just as many games as he had the year before in less than half the games played.
He had 117 wins in seven years in Boston, 32 in New York and 5 in Philadelphia. His career outside of playing with the Sox still showed that he was an above average pitcher but his numbers were never as electric.
The true Pedro will always be remembered for his time spent in Boston. Pedro had a 102 – 63 record with with the Dodgers, Expos, Mets, and Phillies. With Martinez electing to sign with the Mets, the Red Sox received a compensatory pick in 2005 where they selected someone you never would have guessed.
Red Sox select Clay Buchholz with 42nd pick in the 2005 MLB Draft
Clay Buchholz was seen as someone who could have gone much earlier in the draft but slipped several spots after getting caught up in legal trouble. Nonetheless, the Red Sox took a chance on the tall lanky standout out of Angelina College.
His numbers in college were remarkable, a 12-1 record in 15 appearances adding a 1.05 ERA and 129 strike outs. He worked his way through the system and eventually got the call.
On September 1st 2007, in just his 2nd career MLB start, Buchholz no hit the Tampa Bay Rays. He walked three and struck out nine effortlessly on his way to making history. The final batter, Nick Markakis, went down looking on an absolutely beautiful curve ball.
Buchholz went on to play 10 seasons in Boston compiling a 81-61 record with a 3.96 ERA with 899 K’s in 1167 2/3 innings pitched. Buchholz was a two-time All Star and won the World Series with the Sox in 2013.
After all this, did the Red Sox make the right move in letting Pedro walk?
Final Verdict
Some could argue that letting Pedro leave was a big mistake but, after taking a look at his numbers, you’re looking at one good season mixed in with two sub-par seasons and one injury plagued season. The Red Sox made the right move in not re-signing or trading Pedro mid-season in 2004.
Pedro Martinez was able to finally get a ring for the Red Sox, the first for Boston in 86 years. His legacy was further cemented in Red Sox history on July 28th 2015 when Pedro’s number 45 was officially retired.
Buchholz on the other hand ended up having many highs and lows in Boston. After his spectacular 2007 no-hitter, there were more stints on the disabled list than moments of glory.
The one thing that both pitchers have in common, they each were members of a World Series squad (2004 and 2013). Buchholz only topped 10 wins three times with his best statistical season coming in 2010. Buchholz posted a 17-7 record with a 2.33 ERA and getting 120 K’s in 173 2/3 innings pitched. He also finished 6th in the Cy Young voting the only year he was truly considered for the award.
Next: What if Jeff Bagwell never got traded to Houston Astros?
Last off, Pedro was paid $92 million over seven seasons in Boston. He would have theoretically received $54 million over the next four years alone. Buchholz was paid just over $56.5 million for a decade of service in Boston. In the end, it’ll be hard to see this as anything short of being a brilliant decision by Red Sox management.
Stay tuned and keep it locked for the next “What If” article coming in a few weeks.