Andy Pettitte is back from his Hawaiian vacation, but the question remains whether he wants to go back to work.
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said he does not expect to hear from Pettitte this week despite two reports yesterday that the left-hander was going to let the Yankees know his retirement decision soon.
“We’ve been moving forward as if he’s not playing,” Cashman said. “He may tell us otherwise at some point, but, no, this week we’re not expecting to hear anything from Andy. He’s already given us the courtesy on several occasions of telling us don’t count on him and he’s not expecting to play. It’s not official, but he didn’t want to hold us up.”
Many around the Yankees believe Pettitte is going to retire. Cashman said Pettitte has been clear that is the way he is leaning. The GM went so far as to say he would not even expect a call from Pettitte if he elects to retire, only one if he wants to play in 2011.
“He might call and say, ‘Hey, I want to play,’ but I don’t expect a call with him telling us, ‘Hey, I’m not playing,’ because he’s kind of already told us don’t count on me playing,” Cashman said.
The 38-year-old Pettitte spent the holidays in Hawaii with his family. Reports by ESPN.com and SI.com said the Yankees expected to hear something from Pettitte this week. But Cashman said no one from the Pettitte camp has indicated a decision is near.
“This week is no different than the previous week or the previous week or the previous week before that,” Cashman said.
The Yankees could certainly use Pettitte, who went 11-3 last year in an injury-shortened season. After getting spurned by Cliff Lee, their starting rotation contains few sure things. Cashman is scouring the free-agent and trade markets for possible solutions, but the best one would be a return by Pettitte.
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The Yankees made their two-year deal with former Mets reliever Pedro Feliciano official yesterday. The contract is for $8 million with a $4.5 million club option for 2013. The 34-year-old southpaw has made a major league record 266 relief appearances over the past three seasons.