Gabe Kapler to Japan; Pedro Ready to Leave Red Sox
Sayonara Super Sub
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According to a Boston Dirt Dogs source, and now confirmed by several Japanese news outlets, former Red Sox outfielder Gabe Kapler just earlier today signed with the Yomiuri Giants for 1 year at a reported $2 million.
Kapler said he and his family are excited to go to Japan and he is eager to show his "energetic" playing style.
Pedro is Ready to Leave Sox
Likes Steinbrenner and Jeter. Calls A-Rod Best Player. Would Like to Play with Bonds* in San Francisco or Vlad in Anaheim.
�I am not asking
for anything that I don�t deserve�
Pedro clarified that he expects the highest bidder to offer not only money, but to treat him with the respect he is used to
By Yancen Pujols / The Caribbean Sunday, November 21, 2004
El Caribe translation: Pedro Martinez is negotiating a contract in the same way in which he works when he is on the mound: Willing to do anything for the sake of obtaining the goal desired without the smaller charge of possible conscience.
... In an exclusive one with The Caribbean, he clarified that in his next contract he considers other things more important than money, such as respect ...
"In reality I will do the necessary thing. We will do it without favoritism and we will do it well", indicated the righthander in its first statement after last week�s meetings with the Yankees and Red Sox.
"I want respect, affection and the best possible treatment. I am not requesting anything that Pedro Martinez does not deserve. The people do not understand that when you enter free agency, you can go to the highest bidder," he said.
After a long day that included his return home after visiting the United States ... Martinez sat down on a sidewalk to talk long with The Caribbean.
As if it was in the movie "Question of honor", Martinez does not intend to yield neither an apex to the parameters he refers to.
"I would say that in this point in my career, I have a level in the market and if it�s dropped from there, it�s dropped for all the players looking for raises. Therefore, for that reason, respect matters even more," he said.
"We are going to see how much interest they show the parts and the interest that give me", added.
On Boston. Pedro was emphatic at the time, indicating that he has a clear conscience and that is prepared to launch in any place.
"I have not asked for $17.5 million. I do not want that. For a long time I told them I am not asking for that ...", the Dominican said, with great clarity.
"Therefore, this will not weight on my conscience, I know the respect that I deserve and the value that I have", he said.
"I have been myself preparing for the moment when free agency arrived. One does like the ants, is prepared at this time to go in another direction", he added. And what do you have to say to those who say at this point in your career, you prefer to pitch in the National League for convenience?
"I would play baseball even in a corral of goats, wherever that be. That does not worry me, I am healthy thanks to God and I expect to pitch well", he said.
In Sunday�s edition, the Boston Globe published that the Red Sox increased their offering to Pedro, that according to reports some $40 million dollars were guaranteed.
Martinez did not go into details on the teams that have approached him, but commented that "many people have approached and are showing interest. I have to do things calmly."
He felt the respect of Jeter and the Boss
Pedro never had talked with George Steinbrenner, but the way to negotiate with the "Boss" brought a lot of the attention.
"The reception with Steinbrenner was huge. The Yankees have a lot of respect for me," Pedro said.
"That man is a lot better than people think and there I was with Derek Jeter, who stopped to greet me and the encounter happened in a very pleasant way", exposed the man that has polarized to the Yankees in which to a possible acceptance he refers.
Martinez rejected that he asked for the meeting with the owner of the Yankees.
"The ones that want to speculate on that, they will do it. That was business, my agent informed me and I showed up at the place and it was all very professional and each party showed the respect that they have," he said.
He was happy with the comments of Alex Rodriguez, as well as Yankees� Joe Torre and Mike Mussina, that he dreams of being a teammate of the Dominican.
"Alex is the best ballplayer and what he thinks about me, he leaves me also toward his person. Without misinterpreting, he would love for me to play with him. But it would also be an honor to be teammate of Vladi (Guerrero) and of Barry Bonds, among others," he indicated.
Bound for Cooperstown
If something speaks in Pedro these days is of its marked intention by finishing with a place in the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.
"Before I did not think of it, but now yes, I think about going into the Hall of Fame ...," Pedro said.
"It is not necessary to be a genius of the numbers to know that I am near, that my numbers need a small push, and that is what I expect to achieve. Therefore I should know where do I go, because I have to accumulate some numbers to be in the Hall of Fame," he said.
Martinez has in his possession three Cy Young awards. All the retired players who have obtained a minimum of three are in the Hall of the Fame. Jim Palmer, Sandy Koufax, Tom Seaver and Steve Carlton form this group.
Among the other pitchers who share that distinction are Greg Maddux (4), Randy Johnson (5) and Roger Clemens (7).
But Pedro also desires to be an example to follow.
"I want to enter the Hall of Fame without prior damages neither in the physical thing neither with the example. I want to be an example of the ones that appear little, in humility, cleaning, professionalism, quality of person and all that," declared Pedro.
