Hall of Fame pitcher Pedro Martinez has added his voice to the growing concern over a possible work stoppage in Major League Baseball, calling on owners and players to reach a resolution for the good of the sport and its supporters.
Speaking Saturday while in Boston for the Pedro Martinez Foundation's 10th annual gala, Martinez made his feelings plain, according to the Boston Herald. "I feel for the fans, and I know when it's good, and it's good, baseball is good right now," he said. "So stop the crap around and get something done and don't lock out baseball for the fans."
Martinez acknowledged the strength of his emotions on the subject, saying that "honestly speaking, I'm pissed," and directed his appeal at both sides of the negotiating table. "Please, for the fans, both sides, figure it out, a good way to get it done, and do not lock out baseball," he said.
The current collective bargaining agreement is set to expire Dec. 1. MLB owners are seeking to put a salary cap in place, and their most recent proposal, made Tuesday, would push back the cap's implementation until 2028. The players' union has held firm in its opposition to any discussion of a salary cap during the negotiations.
For Martinez, the dispute carries personal weight because of what he endured earlier in his career. When the 1994 strike halted the season, he was in his first year with the Montreal Expos, a team that owned the best record in the majors at 74-40 and harbored hopes of winning a World Series. The cancellation of the remainder of that season also left him one day short of arbitration eligibility, delaying his chance to earn a larger salary.
"I hope the commissioner can see me and hear and the players' association hears what I have to say. I might be insignificant, but I lived it before. I experienced that before," Martinez said. ".. I was one of the most punished players at that moment because I had talent, and I needed to wait until arbitration to make my money. So I hope they don't mess it up and they don't mistreat the fans."
Martinez drew a contrast between the earlier stoppage and the current standoff. "Back then, there was a need for other things to change, and they changed for the better. This time, there's no excuse," he said. "On both sides, not the PA, not the owners, not baseball. The fans do not deserve to be mistreated."
Martinez won three Cy Young Awards and was selected to eight All-Star teams over his career. He captured a World Series title with the Boston Red Sox in 2004 and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2015.
