The Yankees and Andy Pettitte are involved in serious contract discussions that will likely result in the veteran left-hander signing a one-year deal in the $11 million range.
And there is a chance Mariano Rivera could have a deal done before the opening of baseball’s Winter Meetings Monday in Nashville.
According to a person with knowledge of the Pettitte situation, the iconic Yankee is going to make a final decision “pretty quick.’’ However, since the process has escalated to contract negotiations every indication is Pettitte, 40, is returning for another season.
“It’s not done yet,’’ the person said. “But it’s moving that way.’’
Last January Pettitte turned down the Yankees’ $10 million offer. When he decided to unretire in March, the Yankees had $2.5 million for him and Pettitte took it. Limited to a dozen regular-season games due to a fractured left foot suffered in late June, Pettitte went 5-4 with a 2.87 ERA. He missed three months, but pitched well in two postseason starts.
While CC Sabathia lobbied hard for Pettitte to return, Pettitte also wanted to see if Hiroki Kuroda and Rivera came back to the Yankees. Rivera has told the Yankees he wants to pitch next year and Kuroda signed a one-year deal for $15 million last week. That was $2 to $3 million less than the right-handed 16-game winner, who will be 38 in February, turned down from the Padres.
Pettitte is the game’s all-time leader in postseason victories with 19 and has a regular-season ledger of 245-142. With Kuroda signed and Pettitte on the way, barring a trade that improves the back end, the Yankees will return their rotation intact from a season ago. Kuroda and Pettitte fall in behind Sabathia with Phil Hughes in the fourth spot and Ivan Nova and David Phelps competing for the fifth slot.
As for Rivera, baseball’s all-time leader with 608 saves, he informed the Yankees a while ago he was willing to return next year. Now it’s a matter of money. Rivera made $15 million last year when his season ended in early May due to a torn right ACL that required surgery.
Giving Kuroda $15 million might make it difficult to ask Rivera to accept a pay cut even though he appeared in just nine games, will be 43 tomorrow and is coming off surgery.
When deals with Pettitte and Rivera are completed the Yankees can turn their focus to bringing catcher Russell Martin back and finding Nick Swisher’s replacement in right field.
According to his agent, Matt Colleran, Martin has received offers from multiple teams and has continued talking to the Yankees while their energy has been spent working on deals for Pettitte and Rivera.
The Yankees have shied away from any deals longer than one year so they can get the 2014 payroll to $189 million, but with Martin they may be forced beyond a year because there is no in-house replacement ready and the free-agent market for catchers is thin.
Texas is believed to be their most serious competition for Martin, who made $7.5 million last year when he hit a career-high 21 homers but batted a career-worst .211.
With Swisher looking for multiple years the Yankees are looking for a right fielder. Ichiro Suzuki has told the club he is willing to wait and Raul Ibanez is interested in returning. However, the Yankees could investigate the trade market for a right-handed hitting right fielder and have talked to ex-Met Scott Hairston’s representatives.