Andy Pettitte started the last game at the old Yankee Stadium, and now might pitch across the street, too.
Pettitte wants to return to the Yankees next year, according to a published report.
The left-hander’s agent, Randy Hendricks, has informed the Yankees of Pettitte’s desire, ESPN reported last night.
Pettitte ended 2008 not certain if he’d come back or retire.
The day after the season ended, Sept. 29, Joe Girardi said, “I think Andy will continue to pitch.”
Pettitte sounded interested then, but wanted time to think it over.
“Like I’ve told you all over and over, I’m not real sure,” he said. “Just looked at the (new Yankee Stadium) over there and I would love to do it. I just feel like I need to get away, and like I’ve told you all, I’ve got some things that I need to weigh over and figure out.
“Hopefully I can come to a conclusion pretty quick and figure out what I would like to do,” he said.
The Yankees would be interested in having Pettitte back, though not necessarily as a top-of-the-rotation starter, and without the salary that goes with it.
Pettitte, who made $16 million last season, went 14-14 with a 4.54 ERA, but in his last 11 starts was 2-7 with a 6.23 ERA.
A comeback as a back-end starter for less money seems most plausible.
Pettitte said after the season he had no hard timetable for a decision, though he did say, “I don’t want it to drag on.” He also admitted the Yankees would have to show interest in his return, and he believed that was the case.
As for pitching for another club, Pettitte said, “I don’t want to go anywhere else. I came back here to finish my career as a Yankee.”
Pettitte did say his family wasn’t opposed to his continuing to pitch. He spent three seasons in Houston after his first nine seasons in New York.
Pettitte was named in the Mitchell Report on performance-enhancing drug use in baseball, which led to him landing smack in the middle of the ugly Roger Clemens fallout and in front of a Congressional committee.
“Things have changed … where I think my family’s fallen back in love with New York again,” he said.
Pettitte said his decision was “more just me, just feeling like if I can do it.”
“More importantly for me, it’s just if I feel like I can do it mentally, I think is the main thing,” he said. “That’s it. It’s a grind. And it’s an exhausting mental grind. And I want to be able to do it, I want to be able to do it for the organization if I commit myself to do it again, and to my teammates.”
Mike Mussina also is contemplating a return, though he seems more likely to opt for retirement.
If Pettitte were to come back, the Yankees rotation would have Chien-Ming Wang, Pettitte and perhaps Joba Chamberlain.
CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Derek Lowe are the top free agents available.
With Mark Hale