Sox officials declined to discuss details of the latest offer, which was described as unusually complex. But the team has creatively used a number of contractual techniques to sweeten deals to the satisfaction of star players. The techniques have included significantly lowering the threshold for performance bonuses and offering innovative escalator clauses, such as Curt Schilling's $2 million provision for helping to win the World Series.
Though Martinez has yet to be persuaded by the most recent offer -- and no deal appeared imminent -- the proposal proved sufficient enough to keep the talks alive.
The Sox initially offered Martinez $25.5 million over two years with a $13 million option for 2007 and $2 million in potential bonuses. With Martinez intent on securing the third guaranteed year, the Sox altered their proposal to make the total $40.5 million value of the deal more easily attainable.
Still, Martinez continued shopping for a better deal, even as another Yankee all but invited him to join him in the Bronx.
"I've been in the majors for 10 years, and for me the best pitcher I've seen is Pedro Martinez," Alex Rodriguez said in a television interview in the Dominican Republic, according to the Associated Press. "He is a genius with the ball, has incredible discipline and knowledge of baseball. I love him and respect him a lot."
Love and respect from the Yankees? If Martinez feels at all disrespected by the offers he received from the Sox, he can hardly object to the choir of pinstripers serenading him.
"To play with Pedro is one of the dreams I still have to accomplish," Rodriguez said, "but we'll see."
A-Rod uttered his expression of affection to a television network in Martinez's viewership area in the Dominican the day after Yankees manager Joe Torre embraced the chance of adding Martinez to his rotation.
"Pedro's one of the elite pitchers in baseball," Torre said. "As a manager, you want all the toys on the shelf, there's no question."
