He’s No Spring Chicken, but Ramon Feels at Home

Pitcher Ramon Martinez reported to Dodgertown on Friday and quickly reconnected with his past.

There were few familiar faces in the clubhouse, and much has changed since the right-hander left in 1998, but Martinez said he has found his way home.

“It is a little bit strange, maybe just a little bit weird,” said Martinez, who re-signed with the Dodgers in January after spending the last two seasons with the Boston Red Sox.

“I was only gone for two years, but it felt like a long time away and a lot of things are different now. But this is where I started my career and I wanted to come back. This is where I want to be.”

The Dodgers are also pleased about the reunion.

“No question about it, it’s great to have Ramon back because he sets an example that everyone can look up to on or off the field,” third baseman Adrian Beltre said. “I remember how much I respected Ramon when I was in the minors.

“Everyone always talked about Ramon and the type of example he set; how he always did stuff the right way. He’s a good example . . . no, he’s the best example for any of the young guys on this team.”

Martinez, who pitched for the Dodgers from 1988-98, signed a one-year, incentive-laden contract that guarantees him $400,000.

If he makes the opening-day roster, Martinez will have a base salary of $1.5 million. He can earn as much as $3.5 million if he starts 29 games.

Although the Dodgers said Martinez is competing with young right-handers Eric Gagne and Luke Prokopec to be the fifth starter, many in the organization believe the job is Martinez’s to lose.

However, Martinez is coming off two difficult seasons with the Red Sox while recovering from 1998 surgery on his pitching shoulder.

He was 2-1 with a 3.05 earned-run average for the Red Sox in 1999, then 10-8 with a 6.13 ERA in 27 starts last season, having averaged only 4.72 innings a start.

The Red Sox doubted that Martinez, whom they paid $5.25 million last season, would regain the pre-surgery form that helped him win 123 games with a 3.45 ERA in 11 seasons with the Dodgers.

Boston declined to exercise an $8.5-million option for 2001, buying it out for $750,000.

Martinez signed with the Red Sox to play alongside his younger brother, Pedro, but he said it was time for a change.

“That was a good experience for both of us because we spent a lot of time together, and I wanted to play with him again,” Ramon said of Pedro, a three-time Cy Young Award winner whom the Dodgers traded to the Montreal Expos for second baseman Delino DeShields in 1993.

“But sometimes it helps you if you make some changes. Sometimes it can help you if you go back to where people knew you when you started.”

Martinez decided to return, in large part, because Dave Wallace also returned to the Dodgers this season.

Chairman Bob Daly lured back the former pitching coach, now a special assistant to General Manager Kevin Malone, persuading Wallace to leave the National League champion New York Mets.

Wallace and Martinez have a father-son relationship, formed during their years together in the minor leagues. Martinez credits Wallace with his success as a pitcher, and much of his development as a man, and he’s eager to work with his longtime mentor.

“I’ve stayed in touch with Dave, but this will be better,” Martinez said. “My arm feels good and I want to get back to work. I’ve still got some things to work on, but I’m getting there.”

Martinez was critical of how the Dodgers handled his ’99 contract negotiations, having suggested that the club expressed interest in him only as a public relations ploy.

In a recent interview, Pedro said, “[The Dodgers] gave away Ramon after he pitched there 11 years and got hurt. If I were Ramon, I would much rather go to Montreal and play for 10 cents than go to the Dodgers and play for a million.”

Ramon said he is focused on the future.

“Pedro still feels strongly because of the way he got traded,” Ramon said, “but that’s not how I feel.”

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Setup man Terry Adams won his arbitration case and will be paid $2.6 million.

The Dodgers have 20 players under guaranteed contracts at $107,205,955. Their projected opening-day payroll is $110 million--tied with the New York Yankees for the highest in baseball.

The Dodgers offered Adams $1.95 million, and two baseball executives said the sides were making progress on a three-year contract when the ruling was announced.

Adams, paid $1.4 million last season, was 6-9 with a 3.52 ERA and two saves in 66 appearances.

Manager Jim Tracy says Adams, whose fastball has been clocked between 95-100 mph, could be one of the majors’ best relievers if he develops an effective off-speed pitch.

Tracy said that will be Adams’ project this spring.