http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2004/baseball/mlb/12/17/pedro.redsox.ap/index.html?cnn=yes NEW YORK (AP) -- Pedro Martinez says he told Red Sox management he didn't want to be in the shadow of fellow ace Curt Schilling. He also hopes his new team, the New York Mets, will sign his former Boston battery-mate, Jason Varitek. In an interview with the Boston Herald, Martinez criticized the negotiating tactics of Red Sox officials, saying he repeatedly got mixed signals from team president Larry Lucchino, owner John Henry and General Manager Theo Epstein, whom he called "arrogant." Martinez signed a four-year, $53 million contract with the Mets this week. He said he left the Red Sox after seven years partly because he didn't want to be second in the starting rotation behind Schilling, who was acquired last offseason and helped lead the team to its first World Series championship in 86 years. "I told [Henry], 'You want to sign me, get it done. Please force them to get it done. I'm willing to stay here. Negotiate with them. I just don't want to be under Schilling," Martinez said. He also said he deserved a better deal than Schilling. "Schilling is 38, I'm only 33," he said. "The fact that I had an off-year doesn't mean that I can be below Schilling. Still, with an off-year, I'm way over Schilling as a pitcher and I've pitched pretty much like Schilling the last few years, if you're going to talk about durability." Red Sox officials did not immediately return a call seeking comment. Asked what other free agents he thought Boston would sign, Martinez said "they'll be stupid not to do Varitek. Varitek is the next one gone. Theo's going to have the biggest problem with him." Epstein has said signing Varitek is one of his offseason priorities. The catcher is reportedly seeking a five-year contract worth more than $50 million, with a no-trade clause. "I hope he is gone," Martinez said of Varitek. "I hope 'Tek is on my team." Asked whether that meant he wanted to get rid of current Mets catcher Mike Piazza, Martinez said, "I do want Piazza, too. Piazza is a good hitter. We can move him to first or somewhere. ... I want 'Tek. 'Tek is a good player, a good catcher." He also said Epstein and Lucchino "weren't getting along in negotiations. Lucchino would say one thing and Theo would show up with another." He said Epstein treated his agent, Fernando Cuza, poorly during negotiations. "Theo got really arrogant on Fernando and I didn't appreciate it," Martinez said. "Theo believed that he had me and wasn't the nicest man communicating with Fernando." He said Red Sox manager Terry Francona played a small role in managing the team, taking his cues from the team's front office. "Francona is subject to what they decide," Martinez said. "Francona had no say, like he didn't have any say in managing the team. He was manipulated from upstairs." Asked for evidence to back that assertion, he said, "I was in the clubhouse, that's how I know." • Check out more top stories on SI.com. Copyright 2004 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
