Andy Pettitte Rejoins Yanks.

[CFHSNJROTC]

Pettitte rejoins Yankees
BY KEN DAVIDOFF AND JIM BAUMBACH
Newsday Staff Writers

December 8, 2006, 10:48 PM EST

Andy Pettitte initially felt a desire to wear Yankees pinstripes again when he received a call from Joe Torre last month. But he didn't truly decide his fate until after the Astros tried to determine it for him Thursday.

When Pettitte saw the Astros all but write him off by attempting to trade for Jon Garland of the White Sox, that's when the lefthander knew where he should play in 2007.

"That pretty much iced the cake for him," Pettitte's father, Tommy, told Newsday on Friday. "This pretty much solidified it as another slap in the face from the Astros."

So Pettitte informed the Yankees on Friday that he will agree to their offer of a one-year, $16-million contract that also includes a $16-million player option for 2008. It reunites the 34-year-old lefthander with the team that he helped win four World Series rings before leaving after the 2003 season.

General manager Brian Cashman acknowledged the agreement in a statement, but team officials were restricted from speaking because the deal is contingent on a physical that will not take place until the week beginning Dec. 18.

Pettitte, who will be vacationing next week, told Houston television station KRIV, "It's been a brutal several days trying to come to this decision. It's been extremely difficult. That's really all I can say right now. It's been an emotional day. It's been an emotional couple of days."

There was some concern by the Yankees that Pettitte was using them to get more money out of the Astros, and there appeared to be some accuracy to that. Pettitte's agent, Randy Hendricks, confirmed in an e-mail message that he told the Astros that Pettitte would return to his hometown Astros if they would raise their offer from $12 million to $14 million. But the Astros wouldn't budge.

"I was surprised the Astros didn't pursue him any stronger than they did," Tommy Pettitte said. "All we kept hearing was that Drayton [McLane, the Astros' owner] was locked in on that number."

Now, with Pettitte back in pinstripes, it's logical to wonder whether 348-game winner Roger Clemens will follow him, just as he followed Pettitte from the Yankees to the Astros for the 2004 season.

Before agreeing to return to the Astros last May 31, Clemens didn't really consider the Yankees because they were not willing to be as liberal with his schedule as Houston. Pet.titte's presence could help change his opinion, but Clemens, 44, has expressed interest in returning to the Red Sox, for whom he began his career in 1984.

Pettitte has been contemplating retirement since the Astros' season ended, and at Torre's charity dinner last month, he even said he was leaning that way. He cited his elbow, which has bothered him in recent seasons. "It barked on him the last two years, but he threw over 200 innings," Tommy Pettitte said. "The whole ordeal was he didn't know if he wanted to subject himself to the pain."

Which was why, if he did play, he wanted only a short-term deal. That made him especially attractive to the Yankees, who did not actively pursue free-agent pitchers largely because of long-term luxury-tax ramifications.

The Yankees sweetened their offer by telling the Pet.titte camp that money and years would not be an issue, and they did not hesitate to include a 2008 player option.

"It was a win-win situation as far as the Yankees were concerned," Tommy Pettitte said. "Andy didn't want to commit to a four-year deal or a five-year deal, a three-year deal or whatever, and not be able to uphold that."

When Pettitte left the Yankees after his 21-8 2003 season for a three-year, $31.5-million contract with the Astros, he was befuddled that the Yankees didn't go after him harder.

Worried about his elbow, the Yankees offered him only two guaranteed years totaling $26 million with a vested option for a third year at $13 million. Three years later, all's forgotten.

"Like I told him, it's ironic the way it all played out," Tommy Pettitte said. "Three years ago, supposedly, the word we got was the Yankees were scared to death because of an elbow issue. Now, as it turned out, they're getting him back with an elbow issue."
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- I cant say i didnt see this eventually coming into play especially after the death of Cory Lidle. I do have to say it is a pretty decent deal considering.

[Justbec]

Feel bad for the Astros. They treated Andy AND Roger like Gold and both just used them to get more and more money. So much for Andy being close to family.. Can you tell I'm not a Yankee fan?

Originally Posted by Justbec

Can you tell I'm not a Yankee fan?

Sports is all about the money, so what else is new ? Look at the Cubbies what they are doing this year...and I'm not a chicago fran. Go Mets Go

[Justbec]

Yeah money rules I suppose. I'm happy for the Cub fans out there. Looks like Sweet Lou is going to make the owners finally spend some $$$. And yep, I'm a Met fan.

[CFHSNJROTC]

ahh hey its all about the money if i was with the mets and they offered me say "10 mil " and the yanks offered me 12 min id go for it definatly more money.

[Justbec]

Ewww.. Nope, I'd draw the line there. I'd take the 2 mill less and not be a Yank.

[CFHSNJROTC]

well then again ur partial cause ur a mets fan id take the money and use it to support my family . heck then again i wish i made just maybe 500,000- 1 mil a yr

[Justbec]

Hell I'd take 200,000 at the moment. That's my point, when you make that many millions year after year, when is enough enough?

[CFHSNJROTC]

Ok wellim going off my topic but there are people out there struggling to make a living and these guys are making loads . there are some that prolly give some money to charity but they should all give back and know whnen to quit .
But Andy coming back toNY is a good thing they never shoulda let him go .