Major League Baseball

Pedro 'absolutely' intends to pitch entire '10 season

Published Nov. 16, 2009 9:36 p.m. ET

foxsports

Not only does Pedro Martinez plan on pitching in 2010, he wants to pitch for the entire season this time.

Martinez's agent, Fern Cuza, told FOXSports.com on Monday that the right-hander has decided to come back for an 18th major league season.

"Absolutely," Cuza said in a telephone interview. "In the playoffs, Pedro was having fun again. He was feeling no pain whatsoever. It was the first time in three years that he felt that way on the mound.

"Based on how he played, and how he responded, he's looking forward to playing next year."

Cuza said Martinez feels "rejuvenated" after helping the Phillies win their second consecutive National League pennant, and that the 38-year-old would like to be with a team at the start of spring training in 2010.

That wasn't the case this year.

Martinez wasn't satisfied with any offers he received after pitching for his native Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic. So, he waited until midseason and auditioned for several teams before picking the Phillies.

He returned to the majors on Aug. 12 against the Cubs and finished the regular season with a 5-1 record and 3.63 ERA in nine starts. Then he made three starts in the postseason. Two were very good. The last, in the Yankees' title-clinching Game 6 victory in the World Series, was not.

Cuza offered one possible explanation as to why Martinez left after only four innings in that start: He was suffering from the flu.

"I think he lost 13 pounds," Cuza said. "When I saw him in Miami last week, he was still battling it. He said, 'I don't know what hit me.' I don't know how he took the mound that night. I didn't realize how sick he was."

Martinez is widely viewed as being a better fit for the National League than the American League at this stage of his career. But he pitched effectively in Game 2 of the World Series at Yankee Stadium.

Cuza said the Phillies are "one of the teams we would consider going back to." He declined to mention other possibilities, but Martinez said in August that he had his "eyes" on the Dodgers and Cubs this year before signing with Philadelphia.

Martinez also said at the time that the Angels, Yankees and Rangers had sent scouts to see him.

"With the leadership he brings, and the way he approaches pitching, I think Pedro's realizing that he can be very effective in the big leagues without the 95-mile-an-hour fastball," Cuza said. "He can still get into the low 90s. With the location that he has, he can still be very effective."

Cuza said it's possible that Martinez will make a start for Licey in the Dominican Winter League as he prepares for next season.