Posts tagged Andy Pettitte at FanHouse

It's no secret the Yankees have spent like madmen this offseason. After a year of "going young" -- which isn't enough time to truly "go young," but that's a different argument -- the Bronxies have decided that was stupid, and are now spending like never before on the best free agents money can buy.

Except there's one free agent who isn't sexy, and who isn't dangling his services in front of a bunch of different teams. Andy Pettitte has sworn his dying loyalty to the Yankees. In return, they've offered him a one-year, $10 million deal, a pay cut from the $16 million he made last year. Not shabby, to be sure, but not exactly a king's ransom in the same winter as the C.C. Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, and Mark Teixeira deals. And now, Pettitte has decided to turn that money down.

From the Windup is FanHouse's extended look at a particular portion of America's pastime.

Salary Cap. There's not a more controversial phrase in baseball economics. The prospect of one hung over the strike of 1994 and 1995 before the owners and players managed to settle without implementing a true cap. Since then, baseball has instituted a luxury tax that acts as a sort of soft cap, but it's set high enough that it only really affects the Yankees annually, and they regard it in the same manner that a rhinoceros regards a mosquito.

For the most part, a salary cap hasn't been part of the conversation in baseball for several years. The Yankees ridiculous spending spree this winter, however, has changed things. In the days and weeks since their signings of CC Sabathia and Mark Teixeira, Brewers owner Mark Attanasio and Astros owner Drayton McLane have once again begun to call for a salary cap. They're the only two owners to have spoken directly on this issue, but it's hard to think they're alone.

A salary cap in baseball is not a simple thing. In most sports, there's only one line in labor negotiations: the line between the players and the owners. In baseball, there's actually a three-way divide between the players, the "big-market" owners (for lack of a better term), and the "small-market" owners. The MLBPA isn't the only thing that stands in the way of a cap. Some of the owners (think John Henry, the Steinbrenners, naturally, the Wilpons, Frank McCourt, Arte Moreno) would likely be opposed to one as well. After the jump, we'll look at all the obstacles and problems with implementing a cap.

The market for Andy Pettitte to gain a multi-year deal with an average of more than $10 million per year isn't thought to be thriving. I mean, he's going to be turning 37 this year and hasn't compiled a WHIP of less than 1.40 in the past three seasons. His ERA was 4.54 last season, and that was with the luxury of pitching in Yankee Stadium -- a park known for being very friendly to left-handed pitchers.

So why hasn't he signed the Yankees one-year offer of $10 million yet? Well, his agent is floating rumors that he's been offered a three year contract worth $36 million from someone. The team hasn't been revealed, so we can't be totally sure this is true. I highly doubt someone would break the bank like this, considering all the circumstances.

We do know the Red Sox and Dodgers have both expressed interest, albeit lukewarm at best. The Dodgers would be a nice home for Pettitte, as it's a pitcher's park in a light-hitting division. Plus, he'd be reunited with Joe Torre. Still, I'd be shocked if they ponied up three years at this price tag for Pettitte, especially considering their reluctance to give more years to Manny Ramirez.

Hat tip: MLB Trade Rumors

Baseball was warned that the Yankees were desperate for starting pitching and would do anything to improve it, bad economy or not. With Friday's signing of A.J. Burnett to a five-year, $82.5 million contract, baseball has learned that the Yankees aren't kidding.

This deal is still pending a physical, which anybody who knows A.J.'s history knows isn't just a mere formality. And that will be the worry going forward. With Carl Pavano still fresh in the Yankees' synapses, it's a bit surprising that the Yanks would sink all that money into the injury-prone Burnett ... especially if they continue their spending spree and throw another $80 million down on Derek Lowe (you'd think not with Burnett in the fold but I'm not convinced), or even another $10 million on Andy Pettitte. When it's all said and done we may be talking about $82.5 million for what could turn out to be a fourth starter behind CC Sabathia, Lowe, and Chien-Ming Wang.

Now if Burnett works out, Yankees fans will be saying "Wow, this guy's our fourth starter!" Not bad. But which Burnett will pitch for the Yankees, the one who was dynamite against the Red Sox (2-0, 2.60) and Yankees (3-1, 1.64) last season, or the injury-prone Burnett?

Then there's the matter of the Braves, who were also chasing Burnett. Might they now turn towards Ben Sheets to upgrade their rotation behind Tim Hudson and Javier Vazquez? Or will the Yankees sign Sheets too? The way they're spending, don't rule anything out.

Yankees/Red Sox is the best rivalry in sports, in my opinion, so it's always shocking to see players on both sides of it. Of course, it's not exactly a rare occurrence. From Babe Ruth through Johnny Damon, there's player movement between the two teams just like any other two teams.

Still, wouldn't it be incredibly odd to see Andy Pettitte in a Red Sox uniform? The thought isn't near as weird as Derek Jeter or Mariano Rivera switching sides, for example, but it's close.

Pettitte has started 30 games against the Red Sox in the regular season, and three more in the postseason -- including two games in the 2003 stomach punch ALCS where the alleged curse continued.

And now, the Boston Red Sox are interested in the lefty, just like they were in 2004. Given their current starting rotation, he'd fit as a nice fourth behind Josh Beckett, Daisuke Matsuzaka, and Jon Lester. He'd also provide a veteran presence with significant postseason experience, as opposed to them heading into the season with both Justin Masterson and Clay Buchholz in the rotation.

Our MLB editor files dispatches from this year's Winter Meetings in Las Vegas in Notes From Sin City.

For better or worse, Las Vegas has been the center of the sports world for the last few days. From O.J. Simpson to Oscar De La Hoya-Manny Pacquiao, Sin City has been a nerve center, and that will continue this week as the entire baseball world descends on the lobby of the Bellagio Hotel for Major League Baseball's annual Winter Meetings.

As always, there figures to be plenty of action on the Strip, but you won't have to go to a poker room or a roulette wheel to find it.

The Hot Stove League has moved at a glacial pace so far, only really beginning to pick up in the last half week and setting the stage for what could be one of the more fascinating Winter Meetings in recent memory. Rarely in the last decade has baseball seen a free-agent class this stocked with quality players or a more vibrant and active trade market.

With that in mind, here is a list of the 10 people to watch most intently over the next few days in Las Vegas.

I'm sure you heard the rumors: the Yankees want to sign a potential ace, but reports indicate that he might bolt for California. But wait, says an informed source, the rumors aren't true!

Sadly, Yankees fans, I'm not talking about CC Sabathia but rather Andy Pettitte. The Dodgers surprised some folks last week by admitting they have "some interest" in Pettitte, but skipper Joe Torre told Ken Davidoff of Newsday that he thinks it's a lost cause:

"He was always married to the Yankees, the excitement playing for the Yankees. I called him only because his agent called Ned [Colletti, the Dodgers' GM]. I certainly would've kicked myself [if I hadn't called]. He never said no to anything, but just from talking to him, I know the Yankees are his first choice. I wasn't about to talk him out of it, knowing Andy like I do."

If that's the case, why did his agent call the Dodgers in the first place? From the sounds of things, it seems they're simply doing their due diligence, gauging the market so they have more leverage with the Yankees.

Pettitte reaffirmed his desire to stay with the Yankees in an interview with the New York Times this week, but said he's going to sit back and let his agent handle negotiations. Pettitte earned $10 million last year, and the Yankees want to re-sign him for $10 million. Considering the Hot Stove League has barely started to heat up, it's perfectly understandable for Pettitte's agents to wait and see if the Yanks start to sweat, especially as Sabathia stalls and A.J. Burnett (apparently) packs his bags for Atlanta.

The Yankees officially severed ties with all six of their free agents, opting against offering arbitration to Bobby Abreu, Andy Pettitte, Jason Giambi, Chad Moeller, Sidney Ponson, Ivan Rodriguez and Carl Pavano. For the last four, this was expected, but it wasn't clear until the last minute whether the team would offer to Abreu or Pettitte.

Even if the Yankees extended arbitration, Abreu likely would have refused -- he turns 35 in March and is hoping to strike it rich with what might be his last big multi-year deal. The Yankees would have received two draft picks as compensation had they offered arbitration and Abreu signed elsewhere, but considering he made $16 million last year, they didn't want to take the chance that might accept, especially considering they're already set in the outfield corners without him.

So what happens to Abreu now? Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News reports that he's been in contact with the Mets and Cubs, and now that the risk of giving up a pair of draft picks has been removed from the equation, negotiations could heat up.

The deadline for being offered arbitration is Monday, and the Yankees have yet to act on Andy Pettitte's contract status. He's said in the past that he wanted nothing to do with any other team, but perhaps being reconnected with his old boss, Joe Torre, could help to change his mind. George King of the New York Post sent along an email to Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti, asking him what the Dodgers' level of interest was in the veteran left-hander. "Some," was his reply.

I guess he just likes being succinct. You know, we started the season, yada yada yada, traded for Manny, yada yada yada, and then it was over!

If the Yankees decide to offer Pettitte arbitration, he'd end up making more than $16 million. While he's a nice player whose had a very solid career, can you really justify paying that much money to 37-year-old-to-be who compiled a below average ERA last year?

From the Dodgers perspective, I still think Pettitte has enough gas left in the tank to help them, especially when he'd be helped by the move back to the NL and into a pitcher's park this time around.

Hat-tip: MLB Trade Rumors

The Moose has vamoosed. Mike Mussina told the Yankees today that he will retire rather than return for the 2009 season. It's not a shocker, the pitcher had been openly contemplating hanging up the spikes since the season ended, but it will impact the way the Yankees handle their offseason moves.

Mussina is the rare athlete who walks away while still having a lot to offer the game. He had his first 20 win season in 2008, rebounding from a miserable 2007 by altering his pitching style to one based on beguiling hitters instead of blowing them away. He's the first pitcher since Sandy Koufax to walk away from baseball after winning 20 games.

And, while he may not have Koufax's credentials, he may be joining the lefty in Cooperstown someday. He finishes his career with a 270-153 record and a 3.68 ERA. Mussina is 19th all-time in strikeouts and 13th in strikeout-to-walk ratio. He's also one of only 21 pitchers in history that is more than 100 games over .500. 16 of the others are in the Hall and the other four -- Roger Clemens, Pedro Martinez, Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine -- are certainly deserving of enshrinement. He fell short of 300 wins, though, and falls behind those four and some other contemporaries in the baseball firmament.