Pettitte declines option for 2008
Posted by: Peter Abraham - Posted in Misc on Nov 05, 2007 
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Andy Pettitte has declined his option for 2008. But that doesn’t mean he’s retiring.
Here’s what his agent, Randy Hendricks, said in an e-mail I received earlier tonight:
“I have spoken with Brian Cashman, who has reiterated what Hank Steinbrenner said about the Yankees wanting to give Andy all the time he needs to decide about next season. Accordingly, we are declining to exercise the option for 2008 and Andy will declare free agency in order to free up a roster spot for the Yankees.
“If Andy decides to play, I am confident we can reach an agreement with the Yankees within 24 hours. The only options, as Andy has stated, are the Yankees or retirement. He appreciates the Yankees’ willingness to give him the time he feels he needs. I do not expect him to make a decision for quite some time.”
Quite some time is not good for the Yankees, who need to be able to settle their rotation for next season. Losing Pettitte would be a huge blow.
Andy seems to be healthy. Maybe a two-three year deal will do the trick. I hope so
I agree, that part: I do not expect him to make a decision for quite some time. just puts the yankees in a bad situation.
Best case, that cashman panics and lands Santana and then Pettitte comes back, that would be IDEAL
Losing Pettitte? Not good if it happens.
However, he declined his option to free a roster spot–a spot the Yanks could look to fill with a pitcher.
Pettitte needs to make the right decision for himself. He’s given us so much, we at least owe him that.
espn is not reporting it quite like you!!!!!!!!!
If Pettitte doesn’t resign than our rotation is dead in the water
THIS IS HUGE, we have to resign him or we might have to end up going after Schilling or something
Well. That sucks.
I’m sure that Pettitte has probably given the Yankees a bit of indication of what he will do. I very highly doubt that he is leaving them out in the cold either way.
Trust me, Schilling is the ABSOLUTE last resort!! The day that happens will be the day after Gary Sheffield is back in left field for the Yankees!!!!
Not left field, right field! D’OH!!
It appears like it is a handshake agreement.
Both parties know what will happen.
As confirmed by the agent, it may have a lot to do with roster space. They get to save an additional prospect from rule V draft in December.
If the man needs the time, the man needs the time. Perhaps this will encourage Cashman to shop around for Bedard, Santana, or Kazmir in the right trade.
I go for Kazmir because he eats the Red Sox alive and won’t come at the same price as Santana.
Now, what we give up I will not even speculate because I am not entirely sure any of it is necessary.
ESPN can report it however you want the key here is the quote from Hendrick who says that Andy needs more time and has said again it is either Yankees or nothing, Filing for free agency is just paperwork I believe.
Andy Pettite is a man of his word and a stand up guy. Last year he made up his mind in early December, I would imagine he will not wait past that tiem this year as well as he will need to begin workouts etc.
i don’t understand how the roster space works?
Anyway I expect Andy to sign.
For 3B, what about Alan Horne to CIN for Edwin Encarnation
Won’t signing Pettite as a free agent (along with Posada and Rivera) prevent the Yankees from signing any more Type A or B free agents?
(5) Quota
(a) Clubs shall be limited in the number of Type A and B Players,
as defined below, they may subsequently sign to contracts. The
number of signings permitted shall be related to the number of Players
electing free agency under this Section B. If there are 14 or less
such Players, no Club may sign more than one Type A or B Player.
If there are from 15 to 38 such Players, no Club may sign more than
two Type A or B Players. If there are from 39 to 62 such Players, no
Club may sign more than three Type A or B Players. If there are
more than 62 such Players, the Club quotas shall be increased
accordingly. There shall be no restrictions on the number of
unranked Players that a Club may sign to contracts.
(b) Irrespective of the provisions of subparagraph (a) above, a
Club shall be eligible to sign at least as many Type A and B Players
as it may have lost through Players having become free agents under
this Section at the close of the season just concluded.
No way they are trading Kazmir….you would have to give up Chamberlain and maybe others.
It’s still the Yankees or retirement. While the delay in coming to a decision isn’t very helpful to the baseball planners, declining his option doesn’t mean Andy doesn’t want to play. On his end, it only means he can’t make up his mind within the time alloted. Maybe he wants a different deal, other than the one the $16 mil option was tied to. Maybe he wants the “family plan.”
But, how smart was it for the new and improved, all-business Yankees to tell Andy: take all the time you want.
“Maybe a two-three year deal will do the trick.”
Um, no. He doesn’t want that type of contract, and given the condition of his elbow, the Yankees would be crazy to give it to him.
The guy just wants more time.
BigDude, those rules don’t apply to a team’s own free agents.
I really think that the longer it takes the more likely it is that he will come back. Pettitte is not the type of person..see Arod.. that would keep the Yanks waiting a month or so and then say ohhh im retiring. He knows that would leave them in a bad spot. Maybe Cash spoke to Andy and they agreed to add more money or another option to the deal. If he was definitely retiring then he would of just said today leaning towards retirement. But how long does someone need to decide, wouldnt you know right away.
and this story is the ONLY thing that takes the sting of seeing joe torre in a dodgers uniform away.
that’s one down, two to go.
Pete, can you please tell cash that he needs to lock down mo and jorge immediately? tell him the fans demand it!
great coverage so far – thank you.
Maybe Andy wants to see that Mo an Po get re-signed for sure first. Can’t fault him for that, as it would definitely be a factor in my decision if I were Andy.
I guess Cashman really has a hunch (osteoporosis).
I’m thinking it could be a long season for the Yankees if Pettite chooses not to come back. Mussina was not consistent last year. Wang’s performance at the end of the year raised a lot of questions. Granted there are some good young pitchers like Hughes and Chamberlain but I see some holes in the starting rotation.
Show him the money!
raymagnetic- thanks
Andy for a half season ???
You don’t trade Alan Horne for Encarnacion. Hopefully, you don’t trade him at all right now.
Kazmir’s got a bad shoulder – - even considering that all pitchers have bad shoulders compared to us mortal folk. Cross him off the list. As for Kazmir’s success against Boston, I have a feeling that there will be nothing less than fireworks when Joba faces Boston. (“Hey Youkilis? You feeling me yet?”)
Bedard is the centerpiece of the Oriole rotation. He could be had but at what price – - IMO it’s not worth what the Yanks would have to give up. Furthermore, why do that trade within the division, shuttling talented pitchers from one team to another?
Don’t mention it BigDude
It sounds like Andy truly is not ready to make a decision. Who knows what is going on his family?
One of the posts above mentioned the Rule V draft and roster space. Given that Pete said that Cash was smiling minutes before the Pettitte announcement, I wonder if there is something there.
Pete – can you enlighten us about the Rule V draft and rules governing roster space? It would save us endless speculation about incorrect information (heaven forbid!).
Adding another option year to the deal is the only thing that they can do. There is no way that they would give him more money per year..$16m is plenty. Too bad there isnt 1 good free agent starting pitcher then they could have a fall back option.
Doesnt this drive up Andy’s value?…He says he’s staying with Yanks but if another team offers him more why can’t he go back to us just like arod/boras wants to? Do what Torre did…opt for more years. After all, it’s not about the money, ha ha. I would take less per year to get 3 years, add it up Joe got 13m, they say, instead of 5m. This is why players hire agents. In the old days the owners ripped players off. Not anymore.
Joel Sherman wrote in his Daily News column today that Scott Kazmir, Delmon Young and Carl Crawford were available for the right deal.Would take a lot to get Crawford and Kazmir from Tampa, but two young players who would make an immediate impact.
I feel so bad for this team in 2008.
Looks like we are assured of having three rookie starters (maybe four if Mussina craps out with an injury). That is, of course, unless Cashman could pull off a deal for a decent veteran without selling the farm.
I don’t think money has anything to do with this.
Next thing you know Mo signs with the Devil Rays!!!??!!! Cash show him the $$$$$!!!
i’m willing to bet they panic and make a crazy deal in orlando
P.S. – Even though Joba, Hughes and IPK pitched last year, I think they would still technically qualify as “rookies,” wouldn’t they? Anyway, those were the three I was thinking of.
you guys need to relax. this doesn’t mean anything.
andy’s agents know the yankees want him back, all they have to do is pick up the phone.
Can Rocket have anything to do with this? Does Cash have a deal planned to free up a roster spot? The soap opera continues. Ah the hot stove is warming up.
“I guess Cashman really has a hunch (osteoporosis).”
That’s a pretty tasteless comment, and more importantly, you have no idea whether or not Cashman knew about this when he made his comment.
I don’t understand what Cash was all excited about? Is it the rule V as someone pointed out? Do they have a deal already but are delaying announcing?
How about Wang and Damon for Crawford and Kazmir? Doesn’t Johnny live in Orlando?
Hank Steinbrenner left the door open for this delayed decision making for Pettitte, so I’m trying hard not to be totally depressed about it. The roster space is an interesting concept. I have faith in Cashman, he’ll pull something off. Plus this whole hunch thing made just a few hours before the email went out. He had to have known, and there must be something more to this than we are hearing. But I admit, I am a huge conspiracy theorist.
Wang & Damon for Kazmir & Crawford – Yeah, that’s a very fair deal.
Tampa should have to give up BJ Upton also if we give them Wang & Damon
Whether Cashman “knows” something or not, I think the bottom line is he has to portray an optimistic attitude to the media, regardless. I mean after the way the offseason has gone so far, what good would it to for him to be openly wringing his hands and dropping doom-and-gloom quotes all the time?
i wouldn’t do wang and damon for kazmir and crawford. crawford is good but kazmir is just as good as wang and no point in doing it.
ChiDave: IPK and Joba are DEFINITELY still Rookies. I’m not sure about Hughes. Give me like 3 seconds and I’ll look up the rules.
Dodgers/Yankees World Series game on YES. Wonder why? Ron Guidry is pitching.
Interesting that for all the talk about whether Mattingly would have hard feelings toward the Yankees, there has been no mention of how Gator might be feeling.
We can substitute Matsui for Damon.
Oy guys, I know it sounds scary, but, unless Andy’s agent is a liar, which I doubt, all Andy wants is more time.
My gut tells me he’ll be back for one more year, but as I’ve said before, it’s got to be the right decision for him.
I would be very very very surprised if Pettitte doesn’t come back. The combination of $, mentorship, sense of loyalty, and just gamesmanship will all be pulls…
Andrea – Thanks for being my bloodhound!
Rocket redux?
My gut tells me something is done they are just waiting to announce.
Dave Phil’s not a rookie next season.
btw IMO if Andy leaves our need for Santana increases, but our ability to actually trade for him decreases. The yankees could have afford to trade some one like Ian who was going to be in the rotation next year for Santana along with other players, if Andy leave the yankees really can’t afford to trade anyone who is going to be in the rotation next year.
ROOKIE QUALIFICATIONS:
A player shall be considered a rookie unless, during a previous season or seasons, he has:(1) Exceeded 130 at bats or 50 innings pitched in the major leagues, or(2) Accumulated more than 45 days on the active roster of a major league club or clubs during the period of the 25-man roster (excluding time in military service).
Joba pitched 24 innings. IPK pitched 19 (I thought it was much less than that). Neither were on the active roster more than 45 days. Hughes pitched 72.2 innings, though, so he is, technically, no longer a Rookie.
Kazmir is better than Wang.
Crawford is much, much better than Damon or Matsui.
And the Yankee players are much more expensive.
If you made that offer to the Rays, they would laugh.
LOL, people wouldnt seriously do Damon and Wang for Crawford and Kazmir? I’d give up both of those for Crawford in a heartbeat.
Girardi needs to be lobbying Andy, Mo and Jorge heavily right now. I think that might go a long way toward addressing their uncertainty.
this is AWFUL news.
Kazmir is a lefty in the Stadium. Crawford can play LF or Cf
and we are gonna need a leftfielder soon, real soon. This is Damon’s final season here and Matsui is headed for DH.
Again, I think Andy is probably weighing things right now – i.e., are the Yankees going to end up fielding a team next year that he feels will justify pitching for them over another 162 game season. It could very well be that there is a handshake in effect that hinges on whether or not Mo and Jorge sign as well as how the rest of the lineup pans out.
Wang and Damon for Crawford and Kazmir. It’s called robbery. The Yankees would have to throw in more.
no problem ChiDave. In my crappy excuse for a blog, I got excited about Joba still being a Rookie next year, so I looked up actual the qualifications. I was afraid he exceeded the days on the roster but was pleased to find he did not.
I was surprised to see that IPK pitched 19 innings.
Andrea – Well, I guess there goes Phil’s Rookie of the Year award!!! (He’ll just have to settle for the Cy Young instead!
)
And Wang will come cheap.
How does that trade make any (between 0 and 1%) sense for the devil rays to do. It’s as if I you said let’s trade Igawa for Kazmir. The logical reasoning obviously being Igawa was bad his first year in the AL but so was Beckett and look where he is now. I just ask for some sense.
Teams who play at home in indoor stadiums wouldn’t do well to trade for sinkerball pitchers (Wang). It’s just not a great idea for them.
And doesn’t Damon have to approve of where he’s being traded? I’m not sure he’d approve of a Tampa trade.
Whoa: Agreed. Too much contract and too many birthdays to absorb. Rays would seek only multiple young, cheap, good players in return.
The Yankees freed up 5 other roster spaces this week Mariano, Jorge, A-Rod, Vizcaino and Mientkiewicz. 5 won’t be returning so why would they need Pettitte’s?
There’s no deal happening with Tampa, period…Calm down, folks!
Andrea: Damon has a partial no trade according to Cot’s Contracts.
You know, one of these years the Devil Rays are going to actually be good and take everyone by surprise.
See 2002 New Jersey Nets, 2007 Golden State Warriors or 2007 Colorado Rockies for further explanation.
Rebecca – I agree with you. All they need to do is get (or develop) a few more quality starters to support Kazmir AND get a real bullpen…and they’ll be dangerous.
murphydog: so what’s a partial no trade mean? And is that why everyone’s all “Damon for Crede” even though that trade makes little sense?
The Rays should sell the team, they don’t draw, nobody cares.
Tampa is on Damon’s approved list but Tampa isn’t taking him at $13M.
Rebecca- That’s true, and along with what Chicago Dave mentioned, they also have changeup specialist James Shields. I think that he can be a consistent innings-eater. I think that we can also add 2007 Detroit Lions to your list!!
Because mo and po are coming back.
Any time a big time asset is involved, the other team is going to ask for Hughes or Chamberlain. Cash needs to see what they’d accept when they get real.
Yeah, Shields pitched some decent games last year…
We would have to pay part of Johnny’s salary. Kazmir’s a free agent in a few years so they will lose him sooner or later.
Andrea
Damon had to list 12 teams he could be traded to without his permission. It was posted earlier today that he only listed teams that he knew wouldn’t take his contract and expected an extension if the Yankees asked him to waive his no-trade to go somewhere not listed.
Kazmir owns the red sox
Well thank goodness for this blog. I was at a friend’s house watching the beginning of MNF when this came across Bottom Line – the way ESPN worded it made it sound like he was declaring free agency to sign with another team! I knew Andy wouldn’t do anything like that after categorically stating “Yankees or retirement” less than a week ago. But it does my heart good to see it verified here.
That said though, it’ll still hurt a LOT (both me personally and the team, haha) if he retires. Don’t do it Andy, you know you still got a lot of great baseball in you!!
Why would the Devil Rays be on his list? I think that’s why I wasn’t understanding what murphydog said.
Baffling.
pat: that makes more sense. Damon’s salary is like half the salary of the entire Devil Rays roster. So they’re on the list just to make sure he won’t get traded. I get it now.
Wang and Damon for Crawford and Kamir? Why stop there? Why not Wang and Giambi for Beckett and David Ortiz? Maybe Melky Cabrera to the Marlins for Hanley Ramirez. Or Matsui to the Mets for Beltran.
While this is not good news, let’s not panic. Pettitte is the “anti-AROD”, meaning his word means something and he’s not all about the money. Sorta refreshing after all the AROD and Boras talk. I truly believe Andy just needs more time to decide if he still wants to play. If he does, he will be back. FWIW I do think he will return for one more year.
Just to let it be known I was being sacastic when I said Wang & Damon for Kazmir & Crawford would be a fair deal.
I can’t believe some posters here actually think that the Rays would get the better of that deal. lol
Oh please, If Hughes or chamberlain emerge as good starters we will be fine. Wang’s post season failures don’t make him a bad pitcher. We are fine.
that proposed damon/wang for kazmir/crawford deal is ludicrous.. why would tampa bay, with their $30 something million team salary trade two of their best players for more expensive and less quality players?! damon is owed $26 million for the two years on his contract -btw.
Ed FL,
Your nut’s if you think the Yankees would give Pettitte anything close to a 3-year deal. Hell if he asks for a 2-year deal the Yankees should let him go.
WE ARE CURSED !!
Many posts up someone was asking about the Rule V draft.
The way the Rule V draft works is as follows:
Every team has a 40-man roster. Every man on the 25-man roster needs to be placed on the 40-man roster; beyond that, each team has fifteen spaces for additional minor league (or 15-day DL) players. These fifteen players, among other things, are eligible for September call-ups, and–most significantly–are protected (along with the 25-man roster) from being chosen in the Rule V draft. Any player on the 60-day DL, if I recall correctly, can be exempt from the 40-man roster, and still be protected, although I’ll admit I’m not entirely sure about that off the top of my head.
Anyway, on the day of the Rule V draft, each team (starting with the one with the worst record the previous year) has the option of selecting ANY player from any other team’s entire organization, except anyone who is either on the 40-man roster or (again, if I recall correctly) the 60-day disabled list. If a player is chosen, however, his contract is purchased by the selecting team and he must be placed on its 25-man roster for a certain length of time (almost an entire season, I think), else be returned (along with a fee).
Again, all that was off the top of my head, but I’m pretty sure you can find the specific Rule V draft rules by doing a quick google or wikipedia search.
I have faith Andy will be back
Thanks for the roster spot, Andy, you’re the best. I know you’re a big family man, but, we need one more year to help the young arms learn Roger’s conditioning ethic. Hell, we may see Roger doing a little coaching in the Spring himself.
I believe a team can sign all free agents that last played for that same team without them counting against the Quota. There is a chance that the exclusive negotiating rights deadline may be a factor. Anyone know for sure?
I think Andy will be back. I don’t think they are panicking and he must have said something to Cashman otherwise Cash would be in a panic.
I also think that Hank’s dictate that it’s a team in transition gives Cashman some breathing room to NOT PANIC. Make good, long-term decisions Brian. DON’T PANIC.
And yes, please send those cards and letters to Hendricks. US Post is more impressive than email. I’ve mailed two today (one from me and one from my roommate).
For all of you talking about obtaining some of the Devil Rays:
Crawford is going nowhere. He along with Pena are the two leaders in the clubhouse.
Kazmir and Shields are the two cornerstones in their pitching plan. They are going nowhere.
If and that is a big if the Rays are lying to their fans and players and decided to trade one of those two guys, I can assure you it would not be to the Yankees. They have to play them 19 times a year as well as try to compete against them for the division. Which I am going to predict they will do starting in 2009 if not sooner. Watch out for this team they will be dangerous if they can add 3 decent relief pitchers.
I was reading today that teams might be going after Orlando Hudson. How about trading a Horne and Ohlendorf or some other package for Hudson. Stick him at second, move Cano to third. He has speed,great glove and hits for average. Thoughts?
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