Jayson Stark of ESPN.com has all the details on Pedro Martinez's one-year contract with the Phillies, which is for a prorated portion of $2 million that guarantees him less than $1 million.
However, numerous incentives give Martinez a chance to more than double that amount:
* $75,000 per outing for starts 6-10.
* $100,000 per outing for starts 11-15.
* $50,000 for each of 10th, 15th, 20th, and 25th relief appearance.
* $50,000 for each of his 15th, 30th, 45th, 60th, and 75th days on the active roster.
If he joins the rotation relatively soon and stays healthy (and effective) for the remainder of the season while starting every fifth day Martinez is likely to earn around $1.25 million in incentives for a total haul of slightly more than $2 million.
The clause for relief work is interesting given that the Phillies are already grooming Brett Myers for a bullpen role once he's healthy enough to pitch. Pedro hasn't pitched out of the bullpen since a pair of relief appearances in 1999.
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This illustrates why some teams flourish while others flounder. Taking a "chance" on a Cy Young winner, with a history of recent injuries, makes sense to a team looking for one more arm for the stretch. The $2 million at risk is nominal compared to the potential return. Even if he makes only 10 starts and wins 7, whose to say those seven are not the difference between winning the East and fighting for a wild card slot. And, don't forget, that fifth arm, with ample high stakes post season experience, pays off in spades in a 5 or 7 game series. Very smart move Phillies.