But four years? No way, according to sources familiar with the team's position.
In fact, the Sox wonder whether a four-year deal would be enough to lure Martinez back to Boston. Team executives, after recently meeting with their former ace in Florida, harbor concerns about whether he even wants to continue his career here. Though team president and CEO Larry Lucchino publicly said the meeting "went fine," Sox officials came away privately wondering whether Martinez believes he would be happier elsewhere.
Beyond his highly publicized schmoozing with the Yankees -- he sat down in Tampa with Yankees owner George Steinbrenner and Derek Jeter the day before he met with the Sox brass and dined with Alex Rodriguez in Miami the night after -- Martinez has made no secret about the level of respect he expects from his employer, the media, and the public. And though he professed his affection for the team and the city during the World Series -- "My heart is with Boston," he said -- he has a keen memory for the slights he believes he endured during his seven years with the Sox.
All of which makes the preliminary offer from the Mets (an estimated $37.5 million over three years with a $12.5 million option for 2008) a significant development. Should the Mets guarantee a fourth year or trigger a bidding war with the Yankees or other potential suitors that generates a more lucrative offer, Martinez soon could summon moving vans to his Boston-area home for a one-way trip to the next destination in his storied career.
Some of his teammates might not be shocked. As a measure of the uncertainty surrounding Martinez's desire to return to Boston, several Sox players privately have expressed more optimism about the team re-signing Jason Varitek than Martinez even though Varitek and the club have a larger gap in their contract talks. (The Sox have offered Varitek $36 million over four years while Varitek, who initially sought $55 million over five years, appears willing to consider a compromise of four years at more than $40 million.)
When manager Terry Francona recently was asked about the team's prospects of retaining Martinez and Varitek, he gave distinctly different responses.
