FORT MYERS, Fla. – Pedro Martinez capped his healthiest spring in years Wednesday with a dominant performance, marred only by a two-run home run from Cincinnati Reds catcher Jason LaRue.

The three-time Cy Young Award winner faced the minimum through four innings and looked absolutely untouchable before stumbling in the fifth and giving up three runs. He finished with nine strikeouts and no walks.

Still, with the deadline he imposed for a contract extension by the end of spring training fast approaching and the ink still wet on Randy Johnson’s two-year, $33 million contract in Arizona, most of the questions afterward were about his future in Boston.

Answers were harder to come by.

Martinez said last month that unless Boston picked up his $17.5 million option for 2004 by the end of spring training and re-signed him to a new contract, he would finish his career elsewhere.

Then he sealed his lips, and said he wouldn’t discuss the matter again until the deadline passed.

Though the deadline isn’t until opening day, Wednesday’s was Martinez’s final appearance of spring training, and reporters pushed him for hints of progress.

“It’s been such a long time without doing anything, I should be pessimistic, but I’m not,” he said.

But at other points, he sounded less sure. While not precisely repeating his threat and insisting he wanted to finish his career in Boston, he didn’t appear to be softening.

“If they don’t show that they have interest in signing me, what are they telling me?” he said. “What am I going to do – go in and beg them to extend my contract?”

Martinez said he has no reason to believe a deal will be done before Monday – but acknowledged he might not be the best person to ask since he told his agent not to come to him until it’s done.

Martinez was also asked if he thought New York Yankees’ owner George Steinbrenner was hoping the Red Sox would lose out on Martinez, and about the prospect of one day pitching for a team like the Yankees. He acknowledged it would be quite a spectacle.

“Pedro Martinez pitching in New York,” he said. “I don’t even want to think about that.”

Both Martinez and the team have said they won’t negotiate once the season begins, though the Red Sox have hinted at some flexibility.

General manager Theo Epstein again declined to comment on Wednesday.

“We said before spring training that sitting down and talking was something we’d do,” he said. “We’ve been doing it.”

Martinez once again insisted that the passing of the deadline will not affect his pitching one iota.

He did, however, say the contract signed by Johnson – eight years Martinez’ senior – proves there’s still a market for elite pitchers.

“I believe there should be,” he said. “It’s not like I’m too far away from him.”

Martinez, 20-4 last year with an American League-leading 2.26 ERA, finished spring training with a 1-3 record but an ERA of 3.00. More importantly, for the first time in years, he hasn’t had any injuries to worry about.

“You can tell I’m more comfortable, more relaxed,” he said. “Last year was a test. This year I feel confident.”

Other outings have been like Wednesday’s – several dominant innings but a bad inning or two and a loss.

He threw 74 pitches against the Reds. Manager Grady Little said he won’t be held to a pitch count opening day against Tampa Bay, but Martinez said he could certainly throw 100.

“I thought Pedro was real close to being locked-in out there today,” Little said.

Whether he’s still locked-in when it comes to Boston remains to be seen.

AP-ES-03-26-03 1840EST