Pedro Martinez is not officially a member of the Mets...yet. However, the Red Sox brass are reacting as if he's played his last game for the Home Nine. According to the Boston Globe:

"We wish Pedro nothing but the best going forward both on the field and off the field," Sox principal owner John W. Henry said. "He has earned everything he has accomplished, including his World Series ring and his reputation as one of the greatest who ever lived."

..."I'm disappointed that Pedro is leaving for the National League and the Mets," Sox president and CEO Larry Lucchino said. "He was a larger-than-life figure and made a gigantic contribution to the Red Sox. I will miss him both personally and professionally."

..."We're obviously disappointed he took the Mets' deal, but we met his requests: We guaranteed the third year," Sox chairman Tom Werner said. "This will not deter us from finding a solution to reach our championship goals."

While signing Pedro to such an expensive deal is a calculated risk, you would think that Shea Stadium will do wonders for Martinez's numbers. As a Yankee fan, I'm happy to see him on any team but the Red Sox. Now, if the Yanks face him twice a year, it will seem like fun. After all, the so-called rivalry with the Mets doesn't hold a candle to the very real one the Yankees have with the Red Sox. (I wonder how Sox fans feel about losing Martinez.) Also, I would simply like to see Pedro pitch well for the Mets. I just think it would be cool. Met blogger, Jeremy Heit, initially "floored" by the news, writes:

I'm so happy. I love Pedro... he's probably my second favorite pitcher in the league, right behind, who would have guessed it, the "Next Pedro", Johan Santana. I have something for changeup pitchers I guess...

Changeup pitchers who throw cheese. Martinez would be the best pitcher the Mets have had since David Cone was with the team in the early 90s. While the Yanks work on finalizing deals with Pavano and Wright, and continue to haggle with Arizona over Randy Johnson, the Mets swipe the headlines for now and apparently are set to give their fans a terrific holiday treat. Martinez still has to pass a physical and given his mercurial personality, anything could still happen, but it's increasingly difficult to picture him pitching for the Red Sox again.