Is Andy Pettitte playing the Yankees?
By Historical Archive ~ November 27th, 2008. Filed under: Digest Contributors.
Andy Pettitte is a free agent and has consistently maintained that he wants to pitch for the Yankees in 2009, especially now that they are moving into the new stadium. But, while the Yankees know Pettitte wants to return and have also said they want him back in the Bronx, the team has not budged from its thought that Pettitte is not a $16 million a year pitcher.
The Yankees are in pursuit of all the available front of the rotation type free agent pitchers, willing to give more years and more money to one (CC Sabathia), but less money and lesser years for others (AJ Burnett, Derek Lowe, Ben Sheets). But, the Yankees view Pettitte as a back end guy (if they even need him at all) and are not willing to give him the one year contract for the money he desires.
However, the Yankees are caught in a tough position as Pettitte is now on the Dodgers radar. After Chad Billingsley broke his leg, Lowe walks via free agency and the uncertainty of Jason Schmidt’s shoulder, the Dodgers desperately need a veteran pitcher in their rotation. They are left with 20 year old Clayton Kershaw, 33 year old Hideki Kuroda and Billingsley. Another promising pithcer, James McDonald, is good, but the Dodgers currently like him in their bullpen, and could be a West Coast Joba reliever/starter situation. On my weekly radio show with Kevin Williams (www.wobmam.com), I spoke of Pettitte to the Dodgers as far back as mid-October, and wrote about it in early November. They are a great fit, especially with the positive relationship Pettitte has with Joe Torre.
The Yankees would love to have Pettitte sign with the Dodgers, take the two draft picks and move on. But, they need to offer him arbitration in order to get the two picks, and that is only if the Dodgers don’t sign another Type A free agent first. A team can not lose two first round picks in one season. If the Dodgers sign Sabathia first, then sign Pettitte, Milwaukee will get the Dodgers 2009 first round pick and the Yankees would get the Dodgers second round pick instead, plus the supplemental pick.
But, Pettitte might be waiting for the Yankees to offer arbitration, then accept their offer – and getting his desired one season $16 million salary (and the Yankees don’t want to give). Pettitte just might accept, getting what he wants by pitching in the New Yankee Stadium and making great money – for a back end of the rotation guy who really isn’t that good anymore.
That is why the Yanks are in a tough spot; they need to offer arbitration to get the draft picks, but could have Pettitte at the salary they are unwilling to give. But, if the Yankees are not able to land any of the Big 3 in Sabathia, Burnett and Lowe, and Sheets is always a question mark in regards to health, would they need Pettitte? They need to offer arbitration by December 1st, just before the beginning of the Winter Meetings, and the Yankees will probably not know their status on the free agent pitchers yet. If offered arbitration, Pettitte has until December 7th to accept or decline, again before the Winter Meetings.
I personally feel the Yankees do not need Pettitte, that he is on the decline and doesn’t have the same bite on his renowned cut fastball. The Yankees are interested in Sabathia and Lowe because they were dominant #1starters down the stretch, helping their teams into the playoffs. But, Pettitte was the exact opposite of Sabathia and Lowe, was terrible down the stretch, fashioning a 2-7 with a 6.23 ERA in his final 11 starts. So, if you were Brian Cashman, the reason you like Sabtahia and Lowe should be the reason you DON’T LIKE Pettitte – he was terrible when it counted most.
The Yankees do not want to give Pettitte similar money as last year, knowing he is on the decline and is, at best in 2009, going to be a fifth starter. But, the Yankees need to offer arbitration, and hope that the Dodgers’ need for a veteran starter is too much and they offer Pettitte a two year deal for good money. But, if Pettitte does accept arbitration, seek to trade him and possibly Johnny Damon (because LA could also use a center fielder/leadoff hitter) to the Dodgers for a young player or two. Torre and Damon get along well, too, and if that happens, Matt Kemp and James McDonald might look good in pinstripes.
November 27th, 2008 at 1:08 pm
People are massively underestimating what Pettitte means to this team and the 200 IP he eats every season.
Just like people underestimated what Wang and his 200 IP meant to this team after he went down.
Pettitte would NOT be a fifth starter. At worst, he’d be a fourth starter given that Joba is the fifth starter because of his innings cap and the fact that they are going to skip him more than anyone else.
For the record, Pettitte did have some shoulder issues in the second half and could have missed a start or two to rest up.
But he didn’t do that. Instead, he took one for the team because of the absence of Joba and Wang and probably pitched when he should have taken a break.
Lowe would be a terrible signing. He’s an NL pitcher who benefited by pitching the majority of his starts in the weakest hitting division in MLB and in huge pitcher-friendly ballparks (Dodger’s Stadium, Petco, and the former Pac Bell).
They need Pettitte a lot more than you think.
November 27th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
lol….now you people want to see Pettite get traded for Kemp and McDonald straight up? How come the Yankee trades that are always proposed on this website include a has been or talent-less Yankee getting traded for 2 or more young, talented players…….pipe dreams I tell ya….kinda like the Cano for Beltran swap…..
November 27th, 2008 at 2:30 pm
Joe,
I dont think the Dodgers are going to get rid of a talent like James McDonald. He is a talented arm that actually pitched well in the playoffs although sparingly.
With Kershaw and McDonald, and possibly Scott Elbert, another huge talent before his injuries, they could make up three fifths of a Dodgers rotation for a long time coming.
Why pay for a broken Petttite in a trade when you have arguably two of the better younger pitchers in your dugout, and money to go out and sign free agents?
November 27th, 2008 at 3:05 pm
Wow, what an idiotic idea.
November 27th, 2008 at 5:56 pm
Wait a sec here. So Andy Petitte if he does accept arbitration will be an old, overpaid, 5th starter. You said it yourself.
Therefore, the Dodgers will want to trade Matt Kemp and James McDonald STRAIGHT UP for him and Damon (another overpaid, old, declining OF)?
Forget what you like, I’m sure you would like Loney, Ethier and Kemp straight up for Petitte and Melky but that doesn’t mean it
A) Is Likely
B) Makes any sense whatsoever
November 28th, 2008 at 10:37 am
Let him go.Start rebuilding and forget about Andy.He is just trying to ‘get his’ a reward for long,and for the most part, meritorious service,like Jeter and Posada,and Mariano got last year.
November 28th, 2008 at 1:52 pm
are u kidding me this is so stupid
November 28th, 2008 at 2:48 pm
You are an idiot. Why would the Dodgers trade better, younger players because your team is run by morons. Why not trade a Babe Ruth jersey for Martin while you are at it?
November 29th, 2008 at 10:57 am
I didn’t believe it when I read this on another blog, but there it is, in black and white. Wow! So, do you guys get out much or have you never seen Matt Kemp play? Damon, Pettitte, Phillip Hughes and a couple more of your best prospects (along with paying both Damon and Pettitte’s obscene salaries) might get you Kemp, alone, if Ned Colletti had lost his mind.
Damon and Pettitte for Kemp and McDonald has to be the lamest proposition I have seen this off-season. Kudos, I am impressed by your audacity and lack of anything resembling rational thought.
November 30th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
trade one year of pettitte (36 years old on opening day, in clear decline) and one year of damon (35 years old on opening day) for 5 years of kemp (24 years old on opening day, immense upside) and six years of mcdonald (24 years old on opening day, dodgers’ minor league pitcher of the year). this is a joke, right? add jose molina to that, and you might even pry chad billingsley away from them too!