While that column only added fuel to a fire that had begun when an apparently healthy Martinez pitched six shutout innings for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic, it also included, buried closer to the bottom than to the top, a quote from Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti that was widely interpreted as confirmation that the team had a strong interest in pursuing Martinez.

"He is somebody we're curious about," the quote read. "We know how great he has been, and we know how popular he is in Los Angeles."

But no matter how much nostalgic Dodgers fans would like to see it happen, the team doesn't appear close to signing Martinez, especially not at his widely reported price of at least $5 million for this season.

Martinez is 37, and injuries have limited him to a total of 25 starts over the past two seasons with the Mets. The Dodgers' habit this winter and in recent years, whenever they have signed players with injury histories, has been to offer a vastly reduced base salary with incentives to make up the difference if the player can stay healthy. They signed pitcher Claudio Vargas for one year, $400,000, with another $1.4 million in incentives, and second baseman Orlando Hudson for one year, $3.38 million, with $4.62 million in incentives.

The Los Angeles Daily News reported that the Dodgers might be willing to sign Martinez, but only for a guaranteed base salary that isn't much more than the major league minimum of $400,000.