We’re still snowed in, which is a way of explaining my absence this week (hey, you try reading and posting about baseball from a house with two toddlers), but the Boston Globe just emailed over a breaking news alert, informing me that Andy Pettitte will announce his retirement tomorrow.
Bon voyage, Andy. A good pitcher for a long time. Not many can say that.
26 replies on “Pettitte to Retire”
Peace.
I know this makes Sox fans happy, as it should. I can only hope Cash has something up his sleeve. Unfortunately it looks like it’s going to be CC-Hughes and 3 question marks (which is really tough for me to say because Hughes concerns me as well). I guess we are going to be playing a lot of 10-9 games.
I’m happy that the Yankees won’t improve any further by adding Pettitte. From a heads-up perspective, the Sox have smacked him around pretty good for the past few years, so there’s always that concern that the newbie or the scrub who gets shellacked by everyone else will find a way to shut down the Sox three times.
+2 Paul’s comment.
I was much less worried about Pettitte (at all, even) than I am about the impending trade getting ready to happen.
I’d rather not see the fallout here.
On any level this is a positive for the Sox and their fans. No matter how you slice it. It means someone named Garcia, Millwood, Colon will get 20 or 30 more starts in pinstripes than most Yankee fans want to see. I promised I wouldn’t get to upset when/if this happened but it has definitely put a damper on the upcoming season for me. I love the Yankees and I don’t care as much about the final 3 spots being an endless pit of mediocrity as I do who they are being used on. I’d rather they throw Brackman, Betances, etc…(provided they are ready of course) than any members of the group listed above. So again it’s not that they suck, it’s who they are and why they suck…
This off-season has been a Sox fans dream, unreal.
Kinda like getting CC, Tex, Burnett and the like while the Sox loaded up on Smoltz and Penny?
It’s all cyclical.
Sniff, sniff…
The first of the core to ride off into the sunset. Very sad but what an awesome career the guy had.
I do not share the pessimism that his retirement has brought to some of my brethern. We’ll be fine. :)
Again, it’s not “pessimism”…
My point is if the back-end of the rotation is going to suck, why not suck and grow at the same time? I’d rather give the starts to Nova, Brackman, Betances, etc…take their lumps and who knows maybe we develop some front end talent in the interim. So again I don’t mind the back-end struggling, what I mind is wasting it on guys like Colon and Garcia.
Nova, Brackman, Betances
Those might be big lumps. Like the kind that ruin a kid before he’s ready.
good for andy. hell, good for anybody to retire comfortably at age 38. somewhat reminiscent of mussina calling it a career when most felt there was something left in the tank.
as for sf’s being relieved… i’m not so sure. in the last 3 years vs the sox, he’s posted an era under 6.50 only once.
Oh my it must be ignore what I type day…
“I love the Yankees and I don’t care as much about the final 3 spots being an endless pit of mediocrity as I do who they are being used on. I’d rather they throw Brackman, Betances, etc…(provided they are ready of course) than any members of the group listed above.”
It’s not just about how he pitches vs the Sox. I am going to bow out of this conversation I think since people are only choosing to read bits and pieces…
“On any level this is a positive for the Sox and their fans. No matter how you slice it. It means someone named Garcia, Millwood, Colon will get 20 or 30 more starts in pinstripes than most Yankee fans want to see.”
John, I get what you’re saying, bud.
I just think it’s foolish to rush what doesn’t need to be rushed. If the Yanks felt that they could rush them, and get somewhere with them, that’s a different story, but rushing just for the sake of it to “take lumps” or avoid watching Bartolo lug his gut out to the bump, I’m just not sure I agree.
Trust me, from a Sox fan’s perspective, I’d much rather they use the kids. As pitchers, and not pieces!
Lug his gut out to the bump…I want to vomit!
I know, I know I am just pissy over this entire off-season. You know it’s a bad off-season when you wish your team would have been aggressive on Aaron Harang…
hahah. Harang.
What are you talking about john??? Bad offseason??? We just traded for John Maxwell!!! Yes, THE John Maxwell!!! ;)
It’s going to be OK dude. If the retreads faulter, we probably will see the kids. It seems that SuperNova is certainly in the mix already and then depending on how far up we are in the East by the trading deadline, there will be a big name starter to trade for…
Happy to see him not on the Yankees roster for 2011, but sorta sad to see him go. I never hated Pettitte as much as the rest of the Yankees.
Is Ken Rosenthal serious? I am not a reporter, writer, etc…so maybe Paul or someone here that is can help me understand a comment like this:
“LH targets kicked around by some Yankees people: J. Saunders, S. Kazmir, W. LeBlanc, C. Richard, G. Gonzalez. Just ideas right now.”
Does Rosenthal have to have a legit source or could “Yankees people” be a bathroom attendant wearing a Yankees hat? Let’s break this down.
Joe Saunders – Diamondbacks $5.5M/2012 FA
Scott Kazmir – Angels $12M/$13.5M CO 2012
Wade LeBlanc – MLM
Clayton Richard – MLM
Gio Gonzalez – MLM
Joe Saunders is almost a carbon copy of Freddy Garcia except he throws with the opposite arm and pitched in the NL West and was able to compile an eye opening 4.25 ERA with a staggering 5K/9…PASS
Scott Kazmir – This trade would only make sense if it came with a time machine! Kazmir pitched to a 5.94 ERA last season…and has not been a viable starter since 2008! Not to mention his giant albatross like contract…Much like the laugh that was had about the Wells deal, this would be very similar.
Richard/LeBlanc – First, Richard had really good numbers last year. Good ERA (3.75) and respectable K/9 (6.6) he also logged 200+ innings for the 1st time. He came over in the Peavy deal, he makes no money and he’s young…why would the Padres trade him and why would the Yankees want to pay what is sure to be a crazy asking price for a kid that is going down a road he’s never been down innings wise? LeBlanc is another guy making no money, affordable, low K/9, great to hang on to for Padres. He’s another Saunders/Garcia with far less experience.
Gio Gonzalez – This is my 2nd favorite mention (behind the Ghost of Scott Kazmir)…Why in the WORLD would the A’s trade him? Young? Check. High K/9? Check. Patiently endured growing pains? Check. Could emerge as an ace/front line SP? Check. 3.23 ERA, 7.7 K/9…1.31 WHIP…oh and he’s a lefty…
Way to get me fired up again Mr. Rosenthal!
You are taking my intensity banner and running with it brother…in the offseason even!!! ;)
Yes, pass on all of them. We’re good as is until the blockbuster deal in June/July for King Felix.
Krueg, when I saw that tweet I had to check the calendar…I thought maybe it was April Fools Day. I would certainly hope there isn’t a SINGLE person in the Yankees FO that thinks Scott Kazmir is a viable SP in the AL East and or an upgrade on anything we already have! This has just been a nuts off-season, I can hear the collective laughs coming from RSN and I just don’t blame them!
They are just throwing a bunch of starters against the wall to see if any stick…one of them is bound to have a decent season. We are talking #4/#5 starters here.
AJ. It all comes down to AJ. Gulp.
Preparing that plate of crow. I am surprised.
I also am not going to eat all the crow, as I feel like there is a really good chance that Suzyn Waldman has another YouTube-able freakout when AP signs a contract in July to ostensibly come and rescue the floundering Yankee pitching staff!
No way. Andy is not Rocket…he’s done.
I’m watching his press conference now…the guy is such a class-act. Unreal. I’m surprised there haven’t been any tears yet but I guess he is very comfortable with his decision.
Yep.
Sorry to Hijack, but appartently, Mr. Kalish will break with the club if this is true.
The Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo reports that J.D. Drew has battled lingering hamstring issues this offseason that may limit him at the start of spring training.
Drew had hamstring problems off and on during the 2010 season and evidently hasn’t been able to shake them over the winter. It’s a discouraging sign that it’s taking him so long to recover, especially with his history of health issues. Keep an eye out for updates on his progress, as this could be a red flag heading into the season. Ryan Kalish would take over in right field should Drew not be ready for Opening Day.