Report: Pettitte rejects Yankees' offer

[KFDM COOP]

Report: Pettitte rejects Yankees' offer

Andy Pettitte may not be returning to the New York Yankees after all.

The left-handed starter has rejected the Yankees' one-year, $10 million offer, The New York Times reported, citing a person with knowledge of the negotiations.

The door does not appear closed on Pettitte returning to New York. The New York Daily News reported that according to a person close to the situation, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman has "had dialogue" in recent days with Pettitte's agents, Randy and Alan Hendricks.

"Andy's a free agent, and the one thing I've been consistent in saying is that we'd like to have Andy back," Cashman said last month, according to the Daily News. "I know he'd like to come back. That's set up for maybe a positive end result. It doesn't guarantee it."

Last month, Pettitte told The Times that he wanted to return to the Yankees but was leaving the matter to his agents. Randy Hendricks did not respond to an e-mail message on Monday, The Times reported.

There's also the issue of money.

The $10 million offer Pettitte reportedly rejected would represent a $6 million decrease from the $16 million the Yankees paid Pettitte last year. And that comes at the same time the team has pledged $180 million to first baseman Mark Teixeira and a combined $243.5 million for starting pitchers CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett.

There's also the question of what direction the Yankees want to go in with their pitching staff. The Daily News reported that according to baseball sources, there is a difference of opinion within the Yankees on whether to bring Pettitte back as a No. 4 or 5 starter, or let young pitchers such as Phil Hughes and Alfredo Aceves compete for spots at the back of the rotation.

Pettitte went 14-14 with a 4.54 ERA last season, after starting the year at the center of baseball's performance-enhancing drugs scandal.

Pettitte, 36, waited until early December 2007 to tell the Yankees he would pitch in 2008. That was before the release of the Mitchell report, which included Pettitte, and he had not told the Yankees he might be included in the report, which said he had used human growth hormone. He subsequently admitted using HGH and was supported publicly by the Yankees.

[YankeeDawg]

With a 14-14 record and an ERA over 4.0  he's lucky to be seeing $10Million.  It isn't like he had a stellar season!!

If I was Cashman, it would be  "Take it or don't let the door smack your butt".  >

[bullets13]

With a 14-14 record and an ERA over 4.0  he's lucky to be seeing $10Million.  It isn't like he had a stellar season!!

If I was Cashman, it would be  "Take it or don't let the door smack your butt".  >

exactly.  a .500 pitcher shouldn't make that much.  there needs to be a salary cap, if for no other reason than to keep the yankees from continually trying to buy a championship.