Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes about the possibility of the Cardinals pursuing Pedro Martinez as a possible closer candidate:
[GM John] Mozeliak is scheduled to meet today with [manager Tony] La Russa and his coaches to discuss the camp’s progress. The discussion might include discussion of Martinez as an option at closer. La Russa suggested in November that the club should expand its consideration to include veteran starting pitchers. Martinez has a recent history of shoulder problems but said Tuesday he would be open to the possibility of closing.
The World Baseball Classic might be a decent test of whether Pedro can perform in a relief role. In yesterday’s exhibition game, Martinez was clocked as high as 91 mph according to Arthur Staple of Newsday. It appears that he has yet to be offered a Major League deal.
