8:10pm: Rangers sources denied to MLB.com's Bryan Hoch that they've contacted Pettitte. The only contact between the team and the left-hander occured after the ALCS when Pettitte called Ryan to congratulate him.
5:59pm: Rangers president Nolan Ryan recently contacted Andy Pettitte to try and persuade the left-hander to return to Texas, according to Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News. Though Pettitte appeared to be leaning toward a return to the Bronx, he will presumably consider the Rangers' pitch since they play relatively close to Deer Park, Texas, where he lives. Pettitte left the Yankees for the Astros after the 2003 season only to return to New York three years later.
The Rangers' interest could spark an unusual dynamic between the Rangers and the team they defeated in this year's ALCS. The Yankees are interested in lefty Cliff Lee, so the two teams appear to be bidding against one another for their best left-handed starters.
The Yankees did not offer Pettitte arbitration, so the Rangers wouldn't have to surrender a draft choice to sign Pettitte. Like longtime teammate and fellow free agent Derek Jeter, Pettitte gains leverage because of interest from other teams.
Not going to happen I don’t think. He’ll either be a Yankee or retire.
I wouldn’t be so sure. I actually wondered if the Rangers would reach out to Pettitte. Only the Astros and Rangers could possibly sway Andy away from the Evil Empire and the Astros already burned that bridge years ago. So…I think it is entirely possible, but a lot depends on this Cliff Lee thing.
I think the Rangers would only want Pettitte if they can’t get Lee. And without Lee, I am not sure Texas is as appealing to Pettitte. So I don’t see it happening.
If he only wants to play 1 more year, he wants the best possible chance to win it all. Sabathia/Lee is a much better step towards the World Series than whatever Texas can possibly come up with.
Pettitte himself said it would either be the Yankees in 2011 or Deer Park, Texas
Nolan Ryan renames the stadium (yet again) to Deer Park in order to entice Andy Pettitte to come the the Rangers while still keeping his word.
Seriously? That would be crazy if he pitched for the Rangers…It would be even more awesome if they signed Cliff Lee after that.
Oh…that would be sweet!
Turkery coma appears to have worn off GMs! Today is back into full rumor swing! LOVE IT!!!
Steinbrenner dies and his kid presides over the destruction of the Yankees empire. Whodathunkit?
Personally, as much as I love Andy, I would take a trade-off if it meant we had to let Texas sign Andy in order to sign Lee.
I totally agree. Andy’s numbers in The Ballpark are awful. At the end of the day, these guys are getting old and the time is coming very soon when it is time to say good bye and welcome a new set of star Yankees. It just happens.
Even though Pettite has expressed interest to play for the Yankees and only the Yankees…isn’t a gig with the defending AL Champs in his home state at least a little enticing?
Maybe if we paid him a lot of money. Which I don’t see happening.
That’s the bottom line. The Yankees will overpay for Pettitte and the Rangers probably won’t.
Considering Pettitte has five WS rings and has been on a defending League Champ eight times, I doubt he gets goosebumps over the year the Rangers just had.
I like it, Nolan Ryan playing dirty.
as you said, they should also sign Mariano Rivera and make him a starter.
Let’s not try that again..
I kinda love it, even though im a yankee fan.
I can’t see Pettitte leaving for Texas. Why with 1 year left in the game, go that route? I think Cashman will offer Pettitte the same $11 mil he made this year.
If Nolan Ryan somehow manages to take Cliff Lee and Andy Pettite away from the Yankees then Steinbrenner Jr. will be tar and feathered in Times Square
lol
Pitching in 90 degrees temps from May till September is not what a forty year old pitcher wants to do if he intends to pitch a full season. Pettitte won’t come to a descision until Lee is signed.
Pitching in 40 degree weather for several weeks is not ideal for any age pitcher.
40 degree weather for the most part, is only in early April and late October. Also, it’s a lot easier for a pitcher to pitch in cooler temps than in 90 degrees.
Unless you’re Pedro Martínez (retroactive to when he was actually pitching, that is…).
So why do the pitchers keep warm up jackets on their pitching arms in the dugout if it is so good for them to be cold. In their history the Rangers have had a number of pitchers who didn’t have any problems at all pitching in the heat.
Compare how Kevin Brown and Kenny Rogers pitched in NY compared to how they pitched in Texas. Ferguson Jenkins had no problem with the heat when he won 25 games pitching every fourth day when he played here. There are very few pitchers who didn’t fare well in Texas who went somewhere else and did better.
The year before last Cliff Lee pitched against the Rangers on Opening Day in Texas and was shelled. The game time temperature was in the lower 50s.
There just isn’t any evidence to support the theory that the heat in Texas hurts the pitcher’s performance.
My point is that a 39 year pitcher would be better off pitching where its not so hot as Texas. I never mentioned COLD, 40 degrees is not fridged .Kenny Rogers and Kevin Brown were not 39 years olds when they pitched for Texas, nor was Jenkins.Brown and Rogers pitched poorly in New York because they couldn’t pitch under pressure consistantly. Rogers proved it with both NY teams. Brown for 2 years and in the playoffs. That had nothing to do with weather. As for why pitchers wear their jackets when sitting on the bench. Could it be that they’re just sitting and not moving around? And that leads to the arm and shoulder tightening?
You need not be a rocket scientist to know that strenuous activity in heat drains strength, stamina and effort quicker than in cool weather
( meaning you get tired).
In the ’09 WS Cliff Lee twice beat the Yankees in temps that were in the high 40’s
You obviously haven’t done physical activity outdoors if you think 40 degrees is some type of bone chilling temperature.
Well then you should be able to give me some examples of pitchers who pitched better after leaving Texas. Since Dave Stewart that is. 39 year olds or other wise.
Rogers was pitching here while he was 39. He went 18-9 that year. The next year he went 14-8 and had an ERA of 3.46. He then went to Detroit after that and his ERA went up. He is the latest 39 year old to start here so the evidence is not in your favor. Noan Ryan and Charley Hough also did very well here at advanced ages.
The evidence just does not support your claim.
Great examples, Kenny Rogers who never threw hard or finished many games. The king of 5+ inning games. Charlie Hough a Knuckleballer and Nolan Ryan, a freak of nature that pitched until he was 46. Your evidence is compelling and I submit.
You mean like your evidence? I am still waiting for the name of a 39 year old who pitched poorly in Texas and then went on to do better somewhere else. There are none so when you are saying that a 39 year old would be better off not pitching in the heat it is an empty statement that you can’t back up. What about your saying Rogers wasn’t 39 when he pitched here when he was? Oh yeah, Rogers pitched 211 innings that year when he was 39 so I don’t think he pitched too many 5 inning games. Yes, that is some compelling evidence. I would submit too if I were you.
So many Yankee haters.
For every bandwagon Yankee fan there needs to be a Yankee hater. It allows the earth to continue rotating.
Lol.. I wonder why with user names like that
I don’t know.. who won the WS in 2010.. or 2008, or 2007.. or omg in 2004? Good god man there is so many WS! AHHHH!!
Last I checked, C.C. Sabathia is left-handed. Pettitte is not the Yankees best left hander.
Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
-Jeter will be a Yankee in 2011
-Rivera will be a Yankee in 2011
-Pettitte will be a Yankee in 2011
-Lee will be a Yankee in 2011
The Yankees always get who they want. They just had no reason to bid against themselves, if any offers come up they will match or surpass them. They will NOT let Pettitte end his career elsewhere, we all know how well the Astro’s worked for him.
The Rangers should bid for the services for Pettite, Jeter and Rivera just to get the price up. Despite what a lot of folks like to say, the Yankees don’t have unlimited resources.
No other team will have any effect on Pettitte/Rivera and Jeter’s price is going up regardless. The Rangers don’t have the resources and the Yankees know that, they would call the Rangers bluff lulz.
The more teams bidding for Pettite and Rivera the more they will cost the Yankees. You can’t deny that. The more they spend on those two the less they have to spend on other players. I probably wouldn’t risk bidding on Jeter because I wouldn’t want to get stuck with him. The other two are a different story though.
See, that’s where you’re wrong. The Rangers do have the resources.
The Rangers TV deal doesn’t kick in for 2-3 years and still their payroll will be around 90. They really do not especially with a Hamilton extension and pay raises for Feliz, Wilson, and Andrus. They will have a lot of money on the books in the next few years.
Wrong, the tv deal already kicked in with a signing bonus.
Wrong, the tv deal already kicked in with a signing bonus.
But they don’t have a state income tax !!!1!!11!!!
From ESPN Jayson Stark
“For one thing, the new deal doesn’t kick in until 2015, when Lee would be in the fifth season of his next contract.
For another, Rumblings was told, the new Rangers ownership has already used a large chunk of the upcoming TV money, which it collected up front as a signing bonus, to help finance its purchase of the franchise.
And, finally, the Rangers are about to lose their status as a revenue-sharing taker, which was allowing them to collect $8 million to $15 million a year.”
Do your research.
But they don’t have a state income tax!!
no, YOU do YOUR research. The deal starts with ANNUAL money in 2015, HOWEVER, the Rangers received ~$70MILLION signing bonus, meaning that they have ~$70M NOW, not in 2015. PLEASE do your research before telling others to do theirs
The signing bonus was used already to finance the purchase of the team according to Stark.
Besides any money the Rangers make from their TV deal is pennies compared to what the Yankees make from the TV station that they own.
LOL READ THE WHOLE THING. THE SIGNING BONUS IS BEING USED TO FINANCE THE PURCHASE OF THE TEAM. Mc0wn3d.
like i’m going to believe that TWO billionaires have to sign a tv deal and get money upfront in order to buy the team.
sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=sta…
Wow…I disagree.
The Yankees don’t always get who they want, and Jeter may not be a Yankee in 2011, Lee may not be either.
If you think there is ANY shot that Jeter is not a Yankee in 2011 you need to be checked out. The Yankees have offered what they have because no one can match it. If someone did, they would, it is that simple, no reason to bid against themselves. Who would possibly have Jeter next year? And if you think the Yankees won’t get Lee you are also wrong, not guaranteed of course,, but if ANY other team offers a 6/140 deal I will be shocked.
There is a chance that Jeter might not be on a Team next year.
Checked out? what’s that for?
Because you’re nuts lol
You think Jeter would HOLD OUT rather than sign a 3/45? What are you even talking about? There is a ZERO chance he doesn’t play, what do you think THAT does to his value? He wants to play 6 or 7 more seasons.
I’m nuts now? That’s great.
But I’m stating my opinion, much like you’re stating yours. he’s not going to any other team, but he’s not lowering his demands, and rightfully so
lulz man itz teh interwebz, take a joke.
I am not saying he should be lowering his demands but how can you really think there is any chance that he would not be on a team. He is just going to turn down 45 million?
My bad dude, didn’t mean it offensive. Hope you didn’t take it that way, but if he isn’t going to lower his demands from 22 to 15, why would he do it come spring training. He doesn’t deserve a pay cut, he deserves what he’s going to get paid, but it doesn’t look like the Yankees are going to pay it
I agree and I am partially happy about the Giants showing interest, I wish he could make what he wants. But by sitting out he is not only NOT making the 100+ million he wanted, he is also not taking the 45 that is on the table.
So then the Yankees just have to wait out until January and cross that bridge when they get to it
Well “any chance” is defined as anything above 0. In the event that Jeter were to get injured in an accident, need to undergo surgery, or get struck by lightning, he probably wouldnt be on any team. While those chances are slim, they are not ZERO.
Jeter will be a Yankee in 2011 its just stupid logic to even seriously consider that he wont
So have you not seen what’s been going on over the last month?
SPAN, please re-read nyy4288’s post. Logic makes sense. “stupid logic” would mean that making sense is stupid. It is stupid to make sense for Yankee fans. Some of these Yankee fans would believe that Jeter will play so long that he’ll need a walker to get to the plate.
Yawn.
It would be a nice jab at the Yankees but even as good as Pettitte is, hes no replacement for Cliff Lee.
He’s not going to leave. The Yankees won’t let Pettitte walk away, especially if Lee signs elsewhere.
“the two teams appear to be bidding against one another for their best left-handed starters.”
Pettitte is not the Yankees best left-handed starter. Sabathia is.
CC’s not a free agent though… I think that’s what they meant.
I don’t know about anyone else here, but I’m pretty sure that they wouldn’t be “bidding against one another for their best left-handed starters.” I’m pretty sure there’s this guy Sabathia that pitches for the Yankees too. Last I checked, he was a lefty.
Lol see my post above yours. Very similar. Just a bit shorter.
If the Rangers miss out on Lee, Nolan should just pitch since he controls everything else that has to do with the Rangers. I don’t even know anyone else in that org, all I hear is Ryan.
Which is why Jon Daniels and others don’t really get any recognition.
In all fairness, not many teams have an extremely recognizable Hall of Fame player as an owner. JD does a lot of the dirty work, and Nolan is the face for the media
People who follow baseball a lot closer than the casual fan know who pulls the strings in Arlington.
Yeah, because Nolan Ryan made the trade for Cliff Lee. and in 2007, while not even in the organization, he traded Mark Teixiera for Neftali Feliz and Elvis Andrus. Point is that those that dont have their head in the sand know that JD gets ALL the recognition he deserves.
Obviously you weren’t paying attention for the last year. The name that ALWAYS came before Nolan Ryan’s during the the purchase of the team was Chuck Greenberg. The group was NEVER referred to as Ryan/Greenberg. Greenberg owns 2 minor league teams. You might be familiar with Charley Pride, famous singer, is a minority owner.
But the real reason you hear Ryan’s name mentioned more is because he is the president of the club, though I’m sure you hear Jon Daniels’ (GM) name here and there.
Gamesmanship. If Nolan Ryan were lefthanded we’d be calling him “crafty”.
hey! there’s a stat for the sabregeeks to cook up:
percentages of crafty leftys vs, rightys
then they can advance them with xCRAFT and woCRAFT, ballpark-adjusted craftiness, defence-independent craftiness …
can’t wait. it’s going to be so much fun
Pettite will be a yankee in 2011 or retire, he’s not going to sign with the rangers especially because the yankees actually want him.
If the Rangers show interest in Pettitte, he can leverage that interest to obtain a higher offer from the Yankees, perhaps reducing the amount they are able to offer Lee (not significantly, of course). Perhaps this is the tactic? Maybe they should throw offers at Jeter and Mariano as well? In other words, make the Yankees shell out a lot of money to places they really, really don’t want to. In any case, if Pettitte accepted a Rangers offer, he wouldn’t be a bad left-handed addition to their rotation (Pettitte is not Sabathia, as several comments have pointed out, but he would be a really good fit in Texas).
I thought about that also, very interesting tactic If you want to sign every high profile free agent this off season, go ahead, but we aren’t going to let it be cheap for you.
There is one high-profile free agent that is really a free agent they will be trying to sign. Mariano is about to sign a 1 year 17 million dollar deal. Rangers can’t match it and they sure as hell can’t match 3/45 on Jeter, and they know that. They may be competitive with Lee but once the Yankees throw a 6th year in there, he is as good as in Pinstripes. And with Pettitte, he was potentially due for a raise anyway, he will go from 11.75 million all the way to 13 million. The Rangers are really doing some damage there, let me tell you.
If you mean that Cliff Lee is “every high profile free agent” then yeah that’s what we want to do. Jeesh. Ppl are acting as if we’ve put offers in to Crawford, Werth and Beltre as well.
Seriously, look at the Yankees outfield AND infield, their position players don’t need upgrades, and the ones that even can be (Gardner and Swisher potentially) offer so little of an upgrade with such a massive salary increase things are staying as is except regarding pitching,
I know. I was stating that the Yanks are NOT interested in any of the big name FA except for Lee.
haha I know, I was in total agreement with you
really nolan? you really think pettitte would choose the RANGERS over the YANKEES? be serious now…
besides, pettitte said if he’s returning, “it’s only gonna be with the yankees”
Well, the Rangers did spank the Yankees off the field in the ALCS…
How many rings do you have? And you don’t even have the back up of “loyal fans” Rangers attendance increased 15.7 this year, most of that MID SEASON when Cliff Lee was aquired, you guys started averaging 8,000+ more a game. Pathetic organization, Ron Washington does coke with your center fielder.
So now we play the 27 rings card, eh? The Rangers have a much better shot in the next five years than the Yankees. They haven’t even hit their ceiling as a team, while the Yankees found a way to win with a team that did in 2009. If Pettite (and Lee for that matter) really wanted a chance to win they’d sign in Texas.
The Rangers are very good and will likely stay that way for a bit. But to say they have a much better shot in the next 5 years than the Yankees is foolish.
There is a good chance they don’t even make the playoffs regularly if the Angels restock and the A’s are even trying to make moves. The Yankees will likely make the postseason almost every year just as they have in 15 of the past 16 years.
Cliff Lee knows full well that if he goes to the Yankees, they will be most serious contenders for the World Series over the next 3-4 years.
Get out of here lol if you guys make the play offs 5 years straight I will be suprised. The Angels are ready to spend and Tampa will not be as good this year. Sox/Yanks AL East/Wild Card, Angels in the West and Tiger/Twins central. No room for the Rangers.
There’s so much worng with what you just said I have no idea where to begin. I think Texas will be contenders for the next few years but to say they have a much better shot to win a series over the Yanks has no factual bearing other than the fact that the AL East is more competitve. However, don’t expect the Angels and A’s to sit back and allow the Rangers to run away with things. Long term who has proven the ability to keep the core of their team together from year to year? Yankees.
Guy, talk that smack when you’ve won your first ring. It sounds childish to make predictions on the basis of one AL championship in how many years?
So now we play the 27 rings card, eh? The Rangers have a much better shot in the next five years than the Yankees. They haven’t even hit their ceiling as a team, while the Yankees found a way to win with a team that did in 2009. If Pettite (and Lee for that matter) really wanted a chance to win they’d sign in Texas.
C’mon play nice. That’s not right.
How many rings do you have???
and if the answer is more then 1.
I’m wondering, what kind of man you are that wears a lot of jewellery?
I wear 3. One for each of my wives.
Wait, Andy Pettitte is the Yankees best left handed starter? Someone should make CC Sabathia aware of this.
wow, kinda late aren’t you… only read this 4 times before getting to this post…