The New York Mets are trying to sew up their rotation and have added Freddy Garcia to the mix. Freddy Garcia is not going to be the answer the Mets need, and he is certainly no Derek Lowe. The main reason the Mets pulled the trigger on Garcia was the fact that he consistently gives teams over 200 innings a season.

Pedro Martinez has personally upgraded his time-table for returning to the starting rotation.

"We will give everyone the surprise of the month..." Martinez said. "...I am surprised with the way I am recovering. It's going much faster than I thought...I don't want it to be a long wait like everybody thinks."

This is good news, but only if he comes back 100%. Hamstrings are notoriously difficult to heal, and rushing Pedro back early could prove counter productive.

Pedro Martinez tossed 4 scoreless innings against the Tigers at Tradition field on Sunday. Striking out 4 batters, spreading out 4 hits and a walk, Pedro pitched like Pedro, and the Mets found a way to hold on for a 7 to 4 victory. After the game Pedro stated,

"I don't know about anybody else, but I'm happy facing some real hitters and getting [this first appearance] out of the way… I was good enough”.

Pedro Martinez of the NY Mets commented yesterday that he is looking for a 3 year max. contract extension that could be the last of his career. The 38 year old is still an unknown factor this year as his aspirations are high, but his durability remains a question mark.

If Pedro can throw over 175 innings in 2008, do not be surprised to see him seek over 45 million dollars for a 3 year deal.

While I am as excited as any New York Mets fan about the arrival of Johan Santana, I think one of the most underrated situations of this new season will be the revival of Pedro Martinez. Here’s a guy who was the most dominant force in the game for the better part of 6 years. 3 Cy Youngs, a career ERA under 3.00, over 200 wins with a winning percentage over .690%, and the ability to throw old men to the ground are just some of the strengths of this 5’10” 170 pounder has.