Friday, December 8, 2006
ESPN: Pettitte returns to Yankees with one-year deal
Many thought Andy Pettitte should have never left New York. It looks like that issue has been rectified.
The left-hander and the Yankees have reached an agreement on a one-year deal with an option, sources close to the negotiations told ESPN The Magazine’s Buster Olney on Friday.
Pettitte decided Wednesday that he would pitch next year rather than retire, a move that will set off negotiations with his hometown Houston Astros and the Yankees.
Good news for most Yankee fans.
Update: I’ve been working on my AL->NL conversion based on some feedback from readers. I took a look at all pitchers who switched leagues and compared their AL/NL totals. Using this information applied to Pettitte’s ZiPS, I get the following projection for 2007.
That line compares very closely to Jose Contreras’s 2006, which I ranked as the 21st most valuable season by an AL starter, and would make Pettitte worth about 1.5-2 wins better than average. I also wouldn’t be surprised to see Pettitte outperform it, if he can stay healthy.
Page 1 of 1 pages: