Martinez’s Farewell Is Not Fond One

Longtime Dodger pitcher Ramon Martinez, who is preparing to join the Boston Red Sox, criticized his former team Wednesday for its handling of his contract situation.

Martinez, who baseball sources said could be reunited with his younger brother, Pedro, in the Red Sox rotation if he passes a physical examination Sunday, suggested the Dodgers recently expressed interest in him only as a public relations ploy.

“I was a little disappointed the way they handled it,” Martinez said from the Dominican Republic. “I didn’t have any kind of an offer until a week ago. Then they made an offer about a week ago, but that was just an offer [to appease fans].

“They only came to see me throw in January before I left L.A. and not again. Since I decided to become a free agent, they acted like they weren’t interested in me.”

Dodger General Manager Kevin Malone expressed disappointment when informed of Martinez’s comments.

“The Dodgers were very interested in signing Ramon Martinez because Ramon has been a great pitcher and an even better person,” Malone said. “Ramon represents everything the Dodgers are all about, and we’re going to miss him a great deal.

“We looked carefully at the situation, and we were willing to assume a lot of the risk, but we felt we couldn’t assume all of the risk. As much as we wanted Ramon, we just didn’t feel we could do that.”

Malone declined to discuss the terms of the Dodgers’ one-year, performance-clause contract offer, but club sources said Martinez could have made as much as $6 million had he pitched the entire season, which is unlikely. The club guaranteed about $1 million.

The right-hander has agreed to terms on a two-year, $8-million deal that includes an option year, which would enable the Martinez brothers to play together for the first time since they were teammates in Los Angeles during the 1993 season. Former Dodger general manager Fred Claire traded Pedro to the Montreal Expos for second baseman Delino DeShields in November 1993, and Pedro--the 1997 National League Cy Young Award winner--was traded to the Red Sox in November 1997.

Ramon Martinez, who is rehabilitating from major shoulder surgery, is expected to undergo a physical Sunday at the Red Sox’s spring training facility in Ft. Myers, Fla. If all goes well, Martinez said he’s Boston bound.

“I’m very happy we’re going to be playing together again,” said Martinez, who signed with the Dodgers at 16. “The way things are going, I could be back some time soon.”

Martinez was alluding to his progress in rehabilitation. He said he has exceeded his expectations after undergoing season-ending surgery June 30 for a rotator cuff tear and cartilage damage in his throwing shoulder.

Martinez, who turns 31 on March 22, said his shoulder felt good Wednesday after he threw off a mound for the first time. Physicians and physical therapists told Martinez he probably wouldn’t pitch again in the major leagues until July, but he now believes he might return as early as May.

“I felt very good [throwing off a mound], but my physical therapist told me to back off a bit,” said Martinez, who said his fastball has been recently clocked at 88 mph while he threw on a flat surface. “I’ll be throwing batting practice pretty soon. Everything is going well, I don’t want to rush it, but I feel great.”

The Dodgers did not exercise Martinez’s $5.6-million option for the upcoming season, buying it out for $600,000. Martinez, who made $4.3 million last season, went 7-3 with a 2.83 earned-run average.

Martinez has spent his entire 10-year career with the Dodgers.

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Closer Jeff Shaw finally arrived at Dodgertown on Wednesday after he had been delayed reporting because his wife, Julie, is pregnant.

But Shaw might not be around long. Julie is expected to deliver their third child at any moment, and Shaw is planning to return to their off-season home in Washington Court House, Ohio, when she does.

“As soon as her water breaks, I’m out of here,” said Shaw, who has received permission from the team to return home. “It’s stressful because she knows I need to be here, but I also want to be there. I want to be in two places at once and I can’t do that.”