Yankees or Retirement for Andy

Andy Pettitte has said that he will either exercise his 2008 player option for $16 million or retire.

“The New York Yankees committed an awful lot of money to me and put it in my hands, gave me a player option and trusted me with that option,” Pettitte said in a story posted on Houston television station KRIV’s Web site. “It probably wouldn’t be real honorable for me not to do anything other than if I shut it down, shut it down or go back and play for the New York Yankees.”

Pettitte said he won’t let the managerial changes for the Yankees figure into his decision.

“I gotta figure out in my mind exactly what I want to do,” he said.

Andy is truly a rare breed. He is one of the few players who bases his career decisions on more than money. It would be tough for the Yankees to replace his production on the field. He also will serve as a great mentor and role for the young pitchers on this team if he comes back for another year. Andy Pettitte is the epitome of grace and class.

Meet Joba and Shelley

MLB.com is auctioning off a chance for fans to meet Joba Chamberlain and Shelley Duncan at an event hosted by Michael Kay. Looking at the bidding price, anybody without a ton of money to burn need not apply. The prize comes with other memorabilia. It looks like it would be a lot of fun.

Joba would probably be an interesting guy to talk to. He came an unwealthy family, and his father has been dealing with polio for most of his life. It is a pretty remarkable story, considering Joba had given up on baseball and was working a low paying job out of high school. He then caught on with a small college baseball team before transferring to Nebraska and getting drafted by the Yankees in 2006. It would be worth it just to hear about that kind of experience. Shelley meanwhile just seems like a character. Outside of Jason Giambi, there might not be a Yankee more entertaining to get stuck with on a desert island.

Mo Negotiating

The New York Times reports the Yankees are negotiating with Mariano Rivera in an attempt to bring the free agent closer back to the Bronx to finish his career.

Two days after Alex Rodriguez told the Yankees he was opting out of his contract without returning ownership’s calls, another star Yankee showed up at the team offices in Tampa, Fla. It was Mariano Rivera, the free-agent closer, and the sides want to make a deal.

“I think it’s important, when a player is making a decision like this, that they be involved in it personally,” said Rivera’s agent, Fern Cuza. “This is going to be his last contract, and it’s important for him to know the direction of the organization.”

A-Rod’s departure makes resigning Mo even more critical. The Yankees now need to improve their team in other areas to compensate for the production lost at third base. This team needs to fortify its bullpen. That would free Joba Chamberlain to join the rotation, bolstering the club’s starting pitching and lessening the blow of losing a great player. New York will need to do more than just sign Rivera to make a Joba-free bullpen reliable, but it is probably impossible to do so without taking this critical first step.

Cashman Wishes He Could Have Talked to A-Rod

The New York Daily News ran a story in today’s edition outlining Brian Cashman’s frustration that Alex Rodriguez would not at least sit down to talk with him before opting out of his contract.

“In any negotiation, step one is to sit down and talk, and we were not in a position for whatever reason to ever do that. I’ll always regret that we didn’t get that opportunity to do so.”

While the rest of the world was learning of Rodriguez’s decision to opt-out of his contract during Sunday night’s Game4 of the World Series, Cashman was sleeping.

There are plenty of galling aspects of A-Rod’s antics, but his refusal to even hear Cashman out might have been the worst. Brian Cashman has been nothing but good to Alex Rodriguez. Even during Alex’s bleakest points as a Yankee, Cashman backed the third baseman and did not consider trading him when many wanted him out. He showed nothing but faith in A-Rod. There is no excuse for Alex Rodriguez not meeting with Cashman. Even if he was desperate to get out of New York, he could have said that to Brian’s face. Announcing a departure through voice mail to a good employer is absolutely tasteless.

Girardi Accepts

Buster Olney reports that Joe Girardi has agreed to terms with the Yankees to become the team’s next manager. The former catcher will receive a 3 year contract worth $7.5 million.

This is an exciting day for this franchise. Girardi is a talented young manager. He does come with some baggage and other questions about his philosophies, but I am confident that he will learn from his mistakes with the Marlins and become a better manager because of them. Joe understands the New York media and will work well with it. Some might question how his fiery and demanding attitude will play in a veteran clubhouse, but he will probably mellow a bit. With the Marlins, he had to be overbearing because the team he was leading was so young. He had to teach them how to play and conduct themselves in the Majors, which at times led to him being too demanding. He will not have to be that way with the Yankees.

I will not repeat any of my other thoughts on this hire for the time being. I said most of what I had to say in my profile of Joe a few weeks back.

Torre and Mattingly to the Dodgers

The Journal News reports  the Los Angeles Dodgers will fire Grady Little and hire Joe Torre as their new manager. Joe will bring Don Mattingly with him as his bench coach.

The Dodgers were 82-80 this season under Little and were beset by clubhouse unrest. Owner Frank McCourt, a Boston native, decided Torre is best suited to quell that situation.

Torre turned down a one-year offer to remain as manager of the Yankees on Oct. 18. He had been with the Yankees 12 seasons, winning four World Series championships.

This is great for all parties involved. If there is one thing at which Joe Torre excels, that is building a cohesive clubhouse. Joe gets to continue his managerial career with another of baseball’s flagship franchises and a more laid back owner and fanbase. Even those who would normally criticize his in-game decisions will not complain because he will represent a major upgrade over Grady Little tactically. The team he takes over has enough talent to win now. He also is likely to make less than the $5 million the Yankees offered, proving his decision to walk away was about more than money. There will be no more critics claiming his ego would not allow him to take a paycut. It will be strange to see Don Mattingly in another uniform, but this is great for him. He gets to continue his Major League coaching career with his mentor and go to the organization where his son plays in the minors. Everybody comes out a winner here, except Grady Little and the Yankees.

Hank Blasts A-Rod

Hank Steinbrenner pulls no punches when discussing Alex Rodriguez’s decision to opt out of his contract before even considering the team’s astronomical contract extension offer.

“It’s clear he didn’t want to be a Yankee,” Hank Steinbrenner told the Daily News last night. “He doesn’t understand the privilege of being a Yankee on a team where the owners are willing to pay $200 million to put a winning product on the field.

“I don’t want anybody on my team that doesn’t want to be a Yankee.”

It is one thing for a fan to say these things on a blog. It is quite another for the face of the organization to make these comments. It would be nice for the Yankees to show some class and take the high road here. There is no need to get into public wars of words whenever somebody departs. People are not dumb. They can see what A-Rod did. Kicking him on the way out is just petty. Lord knows the Yankees did not care about loyalty when dealing with Bernie Williams last year. They have used economics to their gain often in the past. Do not go crying when the roles are reversed.

Mattingly Departs

Upset over being bypassed for the managerial job, Don Mattingly has replaced a statement announcing that he will leave the organization.

“Don was extremely disappointed to learn today that he wasn’t the organizations choice to fill the managerial vacancy. Instead, he was informed the organization offered the position to Joe Giradi.

Don feels both Joe and Tony Pena represent true professionalism both on and off the field and he was honored to be among them as candidates for the managerial position. Don extends congratulations to Joe and wishes him and the organization good luck next year!

Today is a very difficult day because managing the Yankees was Don’s aspiration and goal since becoming the hitting coach four years ago. Even though this opportunity has passed him by he wants to thank Mr. Steinbrenner for his initial faith, inspiration and support throughout his playing and coaching career.

Don will use this time to reflect on this experience while considering future family and career options. In the meantime, he did inform the Yankee’s that given the circumstances he won’t accept a coaching position within the organization during 2008.”

It is tough to see Mattingly so upset. He is a great Yankee. The problem is that he simply was not as qualified to take on the challenges of this job as the other candidate. A decision this important cannot come down to sentimentality. It would have been ridiculous to give Donnie this job just to spare his feelings. He was not the best man for the job. It is understandable that he does not want to return. It would have to be painful to see Girardi every day and be reminded of losing out on a dream job. Unfortunately, being a great first baseman does not necessarily make one a great manager. It is good to see that the Yanks are not letting public relations make the decision for them.

Here’s hoping that Mattingly at least understands the decision. It would be a shame to see a great Yankee bitter over something like this and boycott the team like Yogi Berra did years ago.

A-Rod Wins Hank Aaron Award

Alex Rodriguez has won his fourth American League Hank Aaron Award, presented to the best hitter in both leagues. It is awarded by a panel of voters and meant to be the equivalent of a hitters’ Cy Young Award. This is the second consecutive year in which a Yankee took the award home. The Great Jeter won in 2006.

Rodriguez received 24 percent of the American League vote and secured his fourth Hank Aaron Award on Sunday, with the presentation taking place at Colorado’s Coors Field before Game 4 of the World Series.

Rodriguez — who also was honored with the award in 2001, 2002 and 2003 — was unable to attend because of prior commitments, said Commissioner Bud Selig.

The 32-year-old Rodriguez set career highs with 143 runs scored and 156 RBIs while batting .314 and slugging 54 home runs for the Yankees, helping his club overcome early stumbles out of the gate to finish with 94 victories on its way to the AL Wild Card.

This was probably the greatest season in one of the greatest careers of all-time. Anybody who thinks there was a better hitter in the American League than A-Rod is out of their mind. His departure does not mean that the 2008 Yankees can not be better than the 2007 version, but there will be a much more difficult road in building a superior club. It will be challenging to replace that kind of production to say the least.

Girardi Offered Job

Jon Heyman of SI.com reports the Yankees have offered their managerial job to Joe Girardi.

As reported here yesterday, it is believed the Yankees are offering Girardi a three-year contract for about $6 million to take over for Joe Torre, whose contract expired this season after three straight first-round losses in the playoffs.

It would be difficult to imagine Girardi turning down this job. It seemed like one of the reasons he sat this year out was to see whether he might be able to land a marquee job like this one. The Dodgers would also fit that criteria, but speculation of Girardi landing that job is just that right now. Even with the ridiculous expectations, he will be hard-pressed to find a team with more talent.