31 posts tagged “andy pettitte”
Back on September 14th, I referenced a Joel Sherman article from the Post, which listed five mistakes the Yankees must fix for the 2009 season.
With spring training around the corner, let's see how they've done so far. This is what was said then (by Sherman), and my comments are in italics:
1) When you can get a prime-aged ace, move heaven, earth, and -- certainly -- Phil Hughes to get him: My biggest reason for advocating the acquisition of Johan Santana has not changed since the offseason. The Yanks had been looking for just this kind of No. 1 starter. They had gone exotic (Hideki Irabu, Jose Contreras), old (Kevin Brown, Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson), and on belief they could grow one in their lab (Jeff Weaver, Javier Vasquez, Carl Pavano). Aside from Clemens in his first Yankees incarnation, these were pretty much expensive busts.
The Yankees took care of this by signing CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett to fill the void in the rotation. With the tandem of Sabathia, Burnett, and Wang, the Yankees are looking at three aces to lead the rotation. Throw in Joba Chamberlain and Andy Pettitte and the Yanks are good to go.
2) The prospects you have to know the best are your own: There are many reasons the Yankees recently had a dynasty. But right atop the list was that one-time GM Gene Michael did a great job of separating the keepers (Bernie Williams, Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera, and Jorge Posada) from the disposable. Joe Girardi, Tino Martinez, Jeff Nelson, Paul O'Neill, and David Cone were among the key pieces to the dynasty that were obtained by dealing farmhands. Believe it or not, the people who ran the Yankees farm system in 1995 were as obsessed with not trading top pitching prospect Marty Janzen as any Yankees official was in keeping Hughes out of a Santana trade last offseason. If you are asking, Marty who? Exactly.
The Yankees have held on to their top prospects, which include Austin Jackson, Jesus Montero, and a wealth of others. The beauty of the free agent market is that the only compensation is draft picks, not current players.
3) These are the Yankees; earn your way into a significant role: Hughes and Kennedy had not done enough to earn no-questions-asked roles in the 2008 rotation, and the bigger mistake was believing not one, but two neophytes could step right into action.
For the most part, all of the positions are set for the Yanks. The only question marks are in the outfield. Brett Gardner, Melky Cabrera, and Nick Swisher will fight for the center field spot, while Nady, Swisher, Damon, and Matsui will fight for the corner outfield and DH spots. This year, unlike last year, the Yankees are not relying on young, inexperienced players in important spots.
4) Long-term contracts go only to those who play hard and concentrate fully: Again, why did the Yanks not know Cano better? They had seen him wander mentally for three seasons in the majors and several years in the minors before investing long-term in him.
The Yankees gave away long-term contracts to three players this offseason (Sabathia, Burnett, Teixeira). All three certainly earned them, but it will be important for them to hold up their end of the deal.
5) How do you de-emphasize the highest-paid, biggest star on your team?: It was nice mythology built around how Alex Rodriguez and the Yankees decided to come back together last offseason. And, yes, the word is "mythology." Mainly because Rodriguez claimed he returned only because what he wanted most was to be a Yankee. The reality -- besides money and the trappings of fame -- is that A-Rod has no idea what he wants. The true Yankee did not stick around for either the Home Run Derby or the whole All-Star game at Yankee Stadium, go to Bobby Murcer's memorial in Oklahoma City (like Jeter and Pettitte did), or show up at a reasonable time for Old-Timer's Day.
After recent events, here is how I answer the question: you can't. You just can't.
According to every Yankee blog and site out there, the Yankees have officially signed Andrew Eugene Pettitte to a one-year deal worth $5.5 million in guaranteed money and up to a total of $12 million with incentives.
As I have stated numerous times (like here, here, and here), I was hoping that the Yankees would bring back Pettitte for 2009, and they complied with my wishes.
I'm rarely ever right with my predictions (such as when I predicted that Phil Hughes would win 20 games in 2008), but I got this one right. On January 6th, I said, "Somehow, someway, my gut tells me that Pettitte will be pitching for the Yanks next season. He's still a viable starter, and it would do the Yankees good to sign him, even if they have to raise the offer by a few million (heck, that's just pennies to them)."
With the signing of Pettitte, I am officially ready for the 2009 baseball season to begin. The only thing left we need to do is wait.
The Yankees and Mets are the favorites to land 33-year old Freddy Garcia, according to Yahoo.
Garcia has a career record of 118-77 with a 4.07 ERA. He won 12 or more games from 2001-2006 and has posted four seasons of 16 or more wins. However, Garcia has gone just 2-4 over 14 starts since the beginning of 2007.
Here's what I think the Yanks should do: sign him to a minor-league deal. That way, the team can evaluate him during Spring Training and plug him into the rotation if he proves to be ready.
Still, I'm hoping that Andy Pettitte will be back.
Update: The Mets just signed Garcia. Oh well. Worse things have happened.
There has been a lot of talk recently about Andy Pettitte. Most people are saying that the Yankees should not re-sign him, especially since he declined their $10 million offer.
I wholeheartedly disagree. I don't think that Pettitte is worth more than $10 million, but I still believe the Yanks should do whatever they need to do in order to retain his services for 2009.
Let's look at his stats from last year: 14-14, 33 starts, 4.54 ERA, 1.412 WHIP. Granted, those stats aren't amazing. But they're also skewed.
If you take out five -- just five -- of Pettitte's starts, he is left with a 3.42 ERA (I took out his starts from June 7th against Kansas City, July 3rd against Boston, July 31st against Los Angeles, August 26th against Boston, and August 31st against Toronto). In other words, over 28 starts, Pettitte boasted an ERA in the low-to-mid threes. I'd take that out of my fifth starter any day.
People forget- Pettitte was the number 2 starter for most of the season last year. While other starters were going down, Pettitte was a rock throughout the entire season.
If I were Brian Cashman, I would raise the offer a few million if that's what it took to retain Pettitte. I mean, what's a few million dollars for the Yankees?
For the Yankees' sake, let's hope we're seeing Pettitte on the mound come April.
Two questions: what's the deal with Sergio Mitre and Andy Pettitte?
Pettitte, as you probably know by now, has rejected the Yankees' $10 million offer for the 2009 season. In this market, I doubt that he'll receive anything better from that mark (then again, I thought Sabathia wouldn't receive over $140 million). Somehow, someway, my gut tells me that Pettitte will be pitching for the Yanks next season. He's still a viable starter, and it would do the Yankees good to sign him, even if they have to raise the offer by a few million (heck, that's just pennies to them).
As far as Sergio Mitre, what a weird story. Mitre, who was signed by the Yankees back in November, has been suspended 50 games for violating baseball's drug policy. According to him, he purchased a substance at GNC that was not intended to "cheat the system." Mitre stated that the ingredient banned by baseball was not on the ingredients list on the product.
It was doubtful that Mitre was going to make the Opening Day roster, but still, it could prove to be a negative for the Yankees if pitchers go down early in the year.
"Right now it's doubtful on (Andy) Pettitte, given where we are financially with this stuff. But things change, especially here, if Hank and Hal decide to do something." -- An unnamed Yankees official, speaking to the New York Post, regarding Pettitte and the possibility of the Steinbrenner brothers deciding to re-sign him.
At this point, it looks as if Andy Pettitte is headed elsewhere. But I believe the Yankees should do whatever they can to secure Pettitte for 2009. He's a lock for 200 innings, and he'll hold down the back part of the rotation.
Via Yahoo --
"What Randy and Alan Hendricks, Pettitte's agents, are trying to do is to make sure their client avoids a pay cut. Pettitte made $16 million last season, one of the highest salaries in the major leagues for a pitcher, and his agents have stressed that he wants the same salary. The Yankees have offered Pettitte $10 million, and they seemingly have no immediate plans to improve that offer."
If you ask me, the Yankees' offer was a bit low. However, if another team -- such as the Dodgers -- offers Pettitte more money, the Yanks have to do whatever they can to match that mark. I doubt it will go any higher than the $16-million he earned last year.
Getting Pettitte back should be one of the biggest priorities for the Yankees. Granted, he had a terrible second half, but he is still a very serviceable pitcher. He's also reliable, in the sense that he hardly ever gets injured for a long period of time.
With the arbitration deadline looming (in fact, it's today), the Yankees have a plethora of decisions they need to make on some key players.
Anthony McCarron of the Daily News furthers:
"Pettitte would likely earn around the $16 million he's pocketed the last two seasons if he accepts arbitration, but it seems unlikely the Yanks will offer it - if they wanted to pay Pettitte that much money, he'd likely already have been re-signed. Instead, the team wants him to take a pay cut after a 14-14 season."
Bobby Abreu is also seeking a three-year deal. Others, such as Jason Giambi, will probably not be offered arbitration.
Whichever way you look at it, the Yankees have a lot of decisions to make within their organization. And that's not even including the free-agent market.
Andy Pettitte confirmed that he would like to return to the Yankees for the 2009 season instead of retiring.
"It's great to hear," Cashman said yesterday at the GM meetings. "Obviously, Andy is a guy you'd like to have back."
Pettitte, who went 14-14 with a 4.54 ERA in 2008, will likely see a salary deduction from the $16 million he earned last year.
Personally, I am glad Pettitte is returning; him and Mike Mussina held down the rotation for most of the year. Granted, his numbers were mediocre, but take out a few bad starts, and his ERA drops significantly.
With the addition of Sabathia, Burnett, or Lowe, Pettitte will likely pitch as a fourth or fifth starter, so the pressure on him will be lower.
One thing's for sure: he'll be better than Sidney Ponson and Darrell Rasner were.
| Last 3 years | Team | G | GS | W | L | SV | CG | SHO | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | K | ERA | WHIP | BAA | |
| 2006 | HOU | 36 | 35 | 14 | 13 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 214.1 | 238 | 114 | 100 | 27 | 70 | 178 | 4.20 | 1.44 | .284 | |
| 2007 | NYY | 36 | 34 | 15 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 215.1 | 238 | 106 | 97 | 16 | 69 | 141 | 4.05 | 1.43 | .286 | |
| 2008 | NYY | 33 | 33 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 204.0 | 233 | 112 | 103 | 19 | 55 | 158 | 4.54 | 1.41 | .290 | |
| Career | 436 | 426 | 215 | 127 | 0 | 25 | 4 | 2731.2 | 2869 | 1308 | 1180 | 230 | 845 | 2002 | 3.89 | 1.36 | .271 |
Andy Pettitte began the year amidst the hangover of the Mitchell Report. However, as the season started, he became his old self again. Through the Yankees' early season struggles, Andy Pettitte remained one of the few constants, along with Mike Mussina, in the starting rotation. By the all star break, he had a solid 10-6 record with an ERA in the 3's.
However, in the second half, Pettitte struggled. From July 31st through August 31st, he posted five starts where he allowed ten hits or five runs. His ERA soared to the mid-4's, and his record dropped below .500.
Was it a sign of wearing down at the age of 36? Possibly. It's clear Pettitte can still be a solid pitcher in the major-leagues, but if the Yankees want to bring him back, they cannot rely on him to contribute at the top of the rotation. I would love to see him pitch with the Yankees next year as a fourth or fifth starter; yet, ultimately, it is going to come down to what the Yankee front office decides to do.
