Pettitte turns down one year offer from the Yanks’

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Pettitte turns down one year offer from the Yanks’

December 7, 2009 by Kevin Rozell

COME BACK, ANDY: The Yankees offered Andy Pettitte a one-year deal for around $10 million to remain in Pinstripes, but the initial offer was not accepted. The Yankees offered Andy Pettitte a one-year deal for around $10 million to remain in the Bronx, but the initial offer was not accepted. Pettitte made around $10M this past season between his base salary and bonuses. Andy has been called the team’s number one priority this offseason, as he is a very important chip to this team’s success.

His 2009 base salary was$5.5M, but it was an incentive-laden deal that allowed him to make as much as $12 million if he reached all of the contract’s incentives. Andy Pettitte gave us his best in ’09, and he wound up getting another World Series ring on his finger because of it. He was a workhorse during the postseason, and he could always be counted on when the ball was given to him in a big game situation. He definitely earned his money.

Andy stands as the only player to have been made an offer by the Yankees since the World Series ended. Even though the offer was not accepted, an NL official who had spoken to an involved party insisted that a deal would get done. Why would he want to go anywhere else? It doesn’t make any sense really. Count on him being in the Yankees rotation next season. Assuming they get a deal done, that will leave the Yankees with 60% of their rotation filled. Sabathia, Burnett and Pettitte would fill the first three spots of the rotation. Hughes and Joba are up in the air, as their roles are unknown and they could possibly be traded. That also brings up the idea that the team will likely go after some other pitcher through free agency or the trade market. The two big names linked to the Yankees are Doc Halladay and John Lackey.

I don’t really know why the contract was rejected, but I wouldn’t worry about it. Let’s not get on Pettitte because we don’t really know if that was the exact amount of money was it for. I’m sure we’ll hear more about it in the coming days. Andy has nowhere else to go, and he knows the best chance for him to win another ring would be in the Big Apple. The Winter Meetings have officially started for the Bombers.