Pedro Martinez met with George Steinbrenner when he was a free agent following his tenure with the Red Sox and prior to his decision to sign with the Mets. According to a person who was present in the conference room that day and asked to remain anonymous, Martinez told Steinbrenner, "I want to be a Yankee." Steinbrenner released a statement after the meeting with Martinez through his publicist, saying only, "We had a good meeting." Steinbrenner was convinced by his baseball people, including Brian Cashman, not to offer a contract to Martinez. That offseason, the Yankees attempted to improve their rotation by signing free agents Carl Pavano and Jaret Wright, while also dealing for Randy Johnson.