The latest big move has seen Andy Pettitte return to his former team (pending a physical). How does this deal play out for all involved?
The Yankees
It’s good news if you’re a Yankees fan. Their rotation has been a bit of a mess for a couple of seasons now and it was vital that this was addressed during the winter. Of course, the Yanks have tried to improve their rotation in recent off-seasons with limited success. Maybe that’s part of the reason why they have concentrated their efforts on bringing back former Yankee starters in Ted Lilly and Pettitte. Having missed out on Lilly, it was an immediate boost to announce that a deal was nearly finalised. Pettitte’s talent is a big notch above that of Lilly’s and signing him to a one-year $16 million deal (with a one-year player option) makes great sense. With Mike Mussina signed on for another two years at below-market rate and talks ongoing with Kei Igawa, the Yankees are making a concerted effort to shake-up the rotation. Mussina, Johnson, Pettitte, Wang and a battle between Igawa and Pavano for the fifth spot doesn’t look too shabby, particularly with a great batting line-up supporting them and a potential future ace in Philip Hughes on the horizon.
The Astros
Good new for Yankees fans means bad news for Astros fans. I posted a couple of weeks ago that the signing of Carlos Lee would be a bit hollow if their rotation was left to wilt away. Losing Pettitte creates a sizeable hole to fill and if it plays a part in Clemens either retiring (again) or not returning to Houston then they will have some serious work to do. Not that the Astros’ front office needs anyone to tell them that, as a recent attempt to acquire Jon Garland shows; however the fact that this fell through is testament to the situation they now face. Houston are almost desperate for arms right now and that weakens their bargaining position. Although they have some top quality players, the Astros everyday line-up also contains parts that don’t contribute enough offensively (Ausmus for a start) for them to take liberties with their starting pitching. If anything their recent success has been in spite of a below average run-producing line-up. Pettitte’s agent claims in the MLB.com story that Houston could have had him if they had increased their offer from $12 million to $14 million. I’m not sure if that was completely the case (never trust an agent!), but if it was then it may well come back to haunt them.
In truth, it’s difficult to judge this deal from Houston’s perspective right now. We have to wait and see whether the money they would have spent on Pettitte is put to a better use. I have my doubts, but it’s up to the Astros to prove the doubters wrong.
Andy Pettitte
You get the feeling that he would have been happy either way. After deciding not to retire, having a choice between returning to your home team or going back to the Yankees is not the worst position to be in. Having narrowly failed in his mission to help the Astros win their first World Title, he now gets a chance to make it five rings with the Yankees.
It really doesn’t matter who the Yankees sign. The problem with the Yankees is that they are a dysfunctional family. There is no chemistry, no teamwork, just 25 guys playing for themselves, hoping that collectively they will be better than all of the other teams around them. Joe Torre is a good manager, makes nice game decisions, but even he does not inspire teamwork. It’s unfortunate that Steinbrenner doesn’t get it, that Cashman is a puppet for the Boss, and that Yankees fans won’t ever see another championship until they all understand the team dynamic. If you look at the all of the World Series winners in the past few years especially…they all have built from within using players developed in their organization as well as a few important additions down the stretch, but by-in-large they have been blue collar teams who have one major component–CHEMISTRY…I love watching the Yankees suffer. I love watching their fans suffer. I love watching their owner blow a gasket every time things don’t go right. What George needs to do is go back look at the team that won it last for him and figure out a way to duplicate that. You need guys like Scott Brosius and Paul O’Neill, Tino Martinez…team guys. Guys who put the well being of the team ahead of their own personal interests. That won’t happen again until they put together a team that has the same common interests and goals. The Yankees are profitable and surely wouldn’t spend the money they do on players they couldn’t afford, but this signing is once again a huge mistake, by an organization that has been riddled with them for the past ten years…I like Pettitte for the Yankees and I think that it will certainly improve thier staff, but it is one more headache and one more “new†old guy to add to the mix.
They’ve certainly suffered from chasing after individuals rather than focusing on the team over the last few years. Anyone can talk a good game about being a team player etc, but the egos will clash in the end, particularly when things aren’t going so well. Of course, the Yanks strategy of buying up free agents means that their hands are tied for a few years yet as they have immovable contracts such as Jason Giambi’s. The things is though, they still got to the play-offs again in 2006 and they’re a good bet to keep their AL East run going. They ran into a hungry Tigers team, but a break here or there and things may have been different. If things go right for them they have the talent to win it all, and team spirit generally isn’t a problem so long as you keep winning. I think that’s the one thing that keeps me interested in the Yanks. If they could spend their money and coast their way to the World Series then what would be the point for everyone else? It’s kind of a crazy all or nothing approach they have. It keeps things interesting at the very least!