Jeff Roberson / AP

Pedro Martinez walks off the field with his Dominican Republic teammates on Monday. He says he “noticed that I’m the old goat in the group.”

updated 7:13 p.m. ET March 2, 2009

JUPITER, Fla. - Aside from pitching for his country, Pedro Martinez is without a team. He hopes to change that with a good showing for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic.

The three-time Cy Young Award winner says he’s not bitter that he has been unable to land a major-league contract as a free agent. He has a career record of 214-99 but is only 17-15 in the past three seasons, when he has battled a series of injuries.

“There’s no chip on my shoulder,” Martinez said Monday following the first workout for the Dominican team. “I understand the ugly face of baseball, which is the business part of baseball. The last few years, I’ll be the first to tell you, I haven’t been the Pedro Martinez I’m used to being.”

Martinez went 5-6 for the New York Mets last year with a 5.61 ERA in 20 starts.

He has recently been pitching five innings in simulated games and said this is the best he has felt in four years “by far.” He said he would prefer to pitch for a NL contender but wouldn’t rule out any teams.

“I’d love to play for all of them,” he said. “I’m open to play for anybody that would give me respect. ... If nobody takes a chance, I’ll go fishing.”

Martinez said he’s not interested in a deal heavy on incentives with a low base salary.

The 37-year-old right-hander is part of a Dominican staff that includes 23-year-old Johnny Cueto, 24-year-old Jose Arredondo and 25-year-old Edinson Volquez.

“I noticed that I’m the old goat in the group,” Martinez said. “I feel really lucky to be part of it and be a role model to those kids.”

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