I don't like the decision to pick up the option. I just don't trust pitchers, especially ones who have to be babied just to get them to 200 innings. As great a pitcher as Martinez has been, he hasn't been a workhorse since 1998, and as recently as 2001 was limited to 18 starts and 116 2/3 innings. ... In just one season in Boston has Martinez been a reliable member of the rotation from April through September, which is reflected in where he ranks among his peers in workload:

Rank, American League innings pitched, 1998-2002: 7, 8, 7, 60, 20

Rank, American League games started, 1998-2002: 6, 33, 29, 55, 23