Astros On Verge Of Signing Pedro Martinez

According to John Perrotto of Baseball Prospectus, the Astros are close to signing Pedro Martinez. The Astros are on the verge of signing a potential Hall of Famer as a free agent for the second team in a week as baseball sources indicated Tuesday night that they are close to an agreement with right-hander Pedro Martinez. Martinez pitched for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic earlier this month and worked three scoreless innings in relief against The Netherlands. He drew limited interest on the free-agent market, though, after going 5-6 with a 5.60 ERA in 20 starts with the Mets last season. Martinez, 37, has a 214-99 lifetime record in 17 seasons. The Astros signed free-agent catcher Ivan Rodriguez to a one-year, $1.5-million contract. He also has been using the WBC as a showcase while playing for Puerto Rico. The Astros have scheduled a press conference for Wednesday morning at 9:45 AM EST.