Omar Minaya made the first splash of his tenure as general manager of the New York Mets by reeling in Pedro Martinez, once the modern day Sandy Koufax but now the epitome of the high-risk, high reward signing.

The signing could be as great as when they obtained Piazza, who spent the next half decade as the shining star of the franchise. Or it could be like Mo Vaughn, an aging star with prior injury problems who could never stay healthy enough to contribute anything of value.

Martinez, who, until last year, put up seven consecutive years the likes of which have not been seen since Koufax, was the pitching prize of the free-agent market.

At $52 million over 4 years, however, the 33-year-old comes with enough pros and cons to fill Shea Stadium—one hopes literally.

A star as enigmatic as he is charismatic, Martinez will draw mass amounts of fans on the every fifth day that he pitches.

He will also help Minaya and manager Willie Randolph attract other players to the Mets. Most important, if he is healthy – feel free to capitalize that “IF” – he will be one of the league’s best pitchers and head up what is turning out to be a deep 2005 rotation. When given time to rest before starts, Martinez was spellbinding in the post-season, even if with less stuff than he’s had in the past.

On the other hand, Martinez has a well earned reputation for being one of those prima donna stars who need massive amounts of coddling and protection. He needs to have his way and not be bothered with trifling things like mandatory meeting participation and required attendance at games at which he does not pitch. Finally, he is coming off the worst season of his career, in which his ERA was kept under 4.00 only by careful use and continual extra rest.

Conclusion

The risk was worth taking. Even if health woes dominate the last two years of the contract, Mets fans must remember that Martinez would not have signed with them if the last two years were not guaranteed.

With careful use and the advantages of cavernous Shea, plus the absence of the monstrosity that is the American League designated hitter rule, Pedro should, at the least, be one of the National League’s top 10 pitchers next year. He easily could be Roy Oswalt, if not Roger Clemens. At the least, he should be Greg Maddux.

Plus, if Martinez’s presence draws oodles of fans from Washington Heights and the rest of the city, all the better. Finally, this signing, early in the transactions period, should help Minaya attract more talent to the Mets.

Also interesting will be the effect of Martinez’s having to bat in the National League on his propensity for throwing heat up and in to batters.