The Yankees have been doing a lot of waiting this offseason. They waited for Cliff Lee to choose his team. They waited for Derek Jeter to accept their offer. Then they stayed put a while too long and lost out on Zach Greinke. Now they await a decision from Andy Pettitte as to whether or not he will pitch in 2011.
The Yankees starting rotation for 2011 may be in shambles if Pettitte chooses not to return. A few days ago, Brian Cashman said that he would not pressure Pettitte into making a decision quickly. Now there are reports surfacing that Mariano Rivera may be making a phone call to his long-time teammate to see if he can return to the mound in 2011.
Cashman is optimistic about 2011 when he spoke, saying that he will bring back a 95-win team next year. Andy Pettitte definitely has to be in the equation for the Yankees to win 95 games next year.
He excelled this year, but got hurt in the second half of the season. He was not as dominant, but he continued to show some consistency as a dominant veteran of the mound.
The main factor surrounding the decision as to whether he will return will be money. Pettitte has expressed his desire to spend more time with his family in Texas, but the Yankees need him.
In the past, the Yankees have been known to disrespect some of its aging stars by not offering so much money on the table. It happened to Bernie Williams and Joe Torre later on wrote about his unhappiness afterwards in The Yankee Years.
Andy Pettitte has been a fan favorite for a long time in the Bronx, and seeing him leave due to financial unhappiness seems like the wrong way to end his story. The Yankees should reach into their pockets and put the right amount of money on the table, because the only perfect ending to Andy Pettitte’s story is one more World Series Championship. With Pettitte on the team, the ending seems possible.
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