MLB

Yankees’ Teixeira: Pettitte likely to retire

BUDDY SYSTEM: Mark Teixeira (right), who called Andy Pettitte one of his best friends on the Yankees, said he believes the veteran left-hander will decide to retire. CSM/Landov

Mark Teixeira sounds like a man ready to plan a retirement party when asked about Andy Pettitte.

“If he’s leaning one way, he’s probably leaning toward retirement,” Teixeira said yesterday. “I think that’s what he’s publicly said. It’s no secret right now that’s probably where he’s leaning. [But] in a month and a half, a lot can happen.”

Teixeira was in Times Square promoting tomorrow’s Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium. The first baseman called Pettitte one of his best friends on the team. The two have texted each other over the last two months, but Teixeira said he does not want to pressure Pettitte.

“None of us want to pressure him,” Teixeira said. “Everyone I’ve talked to this winter, we all say the same thing we don’t want to pressure him, we’d love to have him back, but if it’s not in the cards for him and his family we’re going to wish him the best of luck.”

The Yankees’ need for Pettitte to return grew this month when Cliff Lee spurned them to sign with the Phillies instead. That left the Yankees with three established starting pitchers — CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Phil Hughes.

Yankees president Randy Levine was also at the Pinstripe Bowl event, and said Pettitte knows the team wants him back.

“Every day I hope Andy comes back,” Levine said. “I think he knows we need him. I think he knows how much we respect him and what a great leader he is and all his teammates have echoed it.”

Levine said the team has financial flexibility because of Lee’s decision to turn down its money. He echoed general manager Brian Cashman’s statements that the team will take its time to find the right pieces to complete the 2011 team.

“We’ll make it better,” he said. “We have time.”

As for reports the Yankees have an interest in Manny Ramirez, Levine characterized that as the team talking about every available free agent.

Teixeira said his right hamstring is fully recovered from the tear it suffered in Game 4 of the ALCS. He said he was able to begin his offseason workouts five weeks after the injury.

“It actually worked out great because I spent the first month of the off-season, which is usually an active rest period for me where I get to play golf and ride the bike and do some light weightlifting, I took that month as my rehab month,” he said. “Once December 1 hit I was lifting weights and running full-speed.”

Teixeira has paid attention to the Yankees’ offseason moves, and watched at the team missed out on Lee.

Nevertheless, Teixeira said he feels confident the team will be fine.

“We still have a lot of players that can get the job done,” he said. “We basically have the same team that won the World Series two years ago. We’re [would] miss Andy, of course, but we have some young guys that are going to try to step in and do the job.”

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The Yankees said they have 5,000 tickets still available for tomorrow’s game. They have had 400 workers clearing the snow out of the Stadium over the last two days.

brian.costello@nypost.com