Trade Rumors Bother Seattle’s Injury-Plagued Martinez

Mariners

The trade rumors intrigue Randy Johnson. Chris Bosio shrugs them off - he has heard them before.

It is Edgar Martinez they bother. And much as he would like to forget them and go about his business, the man who has been part of the M’s system since 1982 cannot.

“I think about it a few times every day,” Martinez said. “It might be easier to win if I went to a team with a bigger payroll, but I’d like to see it happen here. I’d like to be part of it here.”

Injuries have limited Martinez, who won the 1992 batting title - hitting a franchiserecord .343 - through no fault of his own. When he arrived in camp this spring, he was healthy. How long had it been since he could say that? “Years,” Martinez said.

A marvelous hitter who spent the better part of six years in the Mariners’ minorleague system, Martinez’ ‘92 season was cut short when he underwent September surgery to remove a bone spur from his right shoulder. A year later, he batted .347 in spring training, but on the final day of the exhibition season tore a hamstring muscle.

That cost him most of 1993.

Last spring, he hit .400 for Seattle. And on opening day in Cleveland, pitcher Dennis Martinez hit him in the right wrist with a fastball in Edgar’s first at-bat. He didn’t play again for a month.

In the two years since Lou Piniella became manager, Edgar Martinez has played 131 games, and missed 142 due to injury. Now that he is healthy, he is being mentioned in trade rumors that basically say he is expendable because of a $3.5 million salary.

Signings

Four more players on the 40-man roster signed contracts Tuesday: Jim Converse, Marc Newfield, Craig Griffey and Scott Davison. That’s 22 players who have agreed to terms.