At the end of Tuesday afternoon’s ballyhooed meeting between George Steinbrenner and Pedro Martinez, The Boss told Martinez’s people to contact GM Brian Cashman if they’d like to follow up, a baseball official told The Post yesterday.
So as executives and observers were still buzzing about the notorious Red Sox righty’s powwow with the impulsive Yankees magnate a day later, two questions remained to be answered:
Was it a bluff by one man or the other? And if so, did it work?
Regardless, the Red Sox went on the offensive yesterday. According to the Boston Herald, general manager Theo Epstein and CEO Larry Lucchino flew to Florida on owner John Henry’s jet to meet last night with Henry, Martinez and agent Fernando Cuza at Henry’s house.
The Sox could have been issuing a take-it-or-leave-it ultimatum instead of sweetening their offer, which reportedly was a two-year deal at $25.5 million, with a $13 million option.
Epstein was expected to fly back to meet with Carl Pavano and his agent in Boston today. Epstein did not return an e-mail request for comment.
Steinbrenner famously negotiated the contracts of Gary Sheffield and David Wells himself. So it’s unclear whether his direction to contact Cashman merely was window dressing, or whether it will end the brief courtship between The Boss and Martinez, a three-time Cy Young Award winner.
“I definitely think Pedro is staying in Boston,” one insider with ties to Martinez said yesterday. “But with Steinbrenner, you never know.”
Cashman told one of his peers he and the front office’s New York faction were left completely in the dark about the Martinez meeting, a source said.
Cashman declined to return numerous phone calls seeking comment yesterday. Cuza could not be reached for comment.
Martinez, who turned 33 last month, wants a three-year deal or longer, and one rival agent speculated that Steinbrenner might have stepped back because he wasn’t willing to roll up his sleeves just yet.
The Yankees have other interests in play. Yesterday, Randy Johnson’s agents were scheduled for a conference call with Arizona general manager Joe Garagiola Jr. They hoped to receive an understanding that the Diamondbacks would trade Johnson this winter, although the chances of that happening soon are not likely.
One source familiar with Johnson’s situation said he wouldn’t be surprised if the lefty doesn’t get traded until January, because the Diamondbacks will use every last bit of leverage they can to elicit the best deal.