@ Corey:
Look, I’m a huge Andy Pettitte fan too. I took part in P46 and I wear his jersey t-shirt. I just called him out for pitching like crap because it was the truth, not because I hated him or anything.

When the time comes next winter, the Steinbrenners will work it out with Jeter. The GM can do the negotiating with Carl Crawford.

Jeter & Mo I would consider merit contracts because they are first ballot HOF, and at least in Jeter’s case, has the 3,000 hit milestone coming up (You think Modell’s & Steiner Sports will beat us over the head with commemorative merchandise for that one?), so there’s $ to be made there.

Yep – my point was – as great a guy as Andy is, at the end of that contract year, his injuries cast doubt on his potential contribution, and that made his price come down. Conversely, Jorge had outrageous numbers in his contract year, so his contract was a bit overvalued by it. Namely, in an average year, he might have received the same money, but probably not the fourth year.

@ MJ:
Plus, I have a bias to Andy. He’s one of my favorites, and I’ll try to defend him when I can (as evidenced when you guys were all down on him and I told you guys he would come up big last offseason).

@ MJ:
I agree with your overall point, I was just stating facts.

@ Corey:
Whatever the reason — noble as it might’ve been — Pettitte was still horrendous in the second half of 2008. All we talk about on this site is how Player X is in decline or whatnot…it was certainly a reasonable expectation that a late-30′s pitcher with at least some injury history was a questionable bet for 2009. As such, it was perfectly within Cashman’s right to insist that he get Pettitte at a reasonable price and not pay Pettitte for glories of the past but for the risk assessment of the future.

GDH wrote:

Pettite, as MJ mentions, laid an egg the second half, and faded fast.

Let’s not forget he was injured and pitched just so the Yankees would even have a marginal chance of making the playoffs. He saw that the Yanks were already down 2 starters and he gutted it out. That’s not the same as laying an egg, to me.

There is no comparison. None. Posada had his best season ever in his contract year. Rivera was still clearly the best closer in the game. Pettite, as MJ mentions, laid an egg the second half, and faded fast. He also flip flopped and dragged the Yankees out when deciding whether to retire or not. Jeter seems to follow the former path, hasn’t lost much of his game if any at all.

Damon, definitely is different. Not only is he not a franchise player like these four, but his defense is in steep decline, and offensively, although solid, he’s not Jeter. He’s a very good piece on a contender, but he’s not about to make anyone into a contender at this stage in his career. He mirrors Abreu, which is pretty much how he was assessed in the early offers he received.

I might add…if it makes sense to reduce Jeter’s pay then I’ll have no problem with it. There are no sacred cows, not even for a guy whose excrement is self-professed not to smell of anything but roses. The Yanks should do what’s best for the organization, not what’s best for the ego of the player they’re negotiating with.

Steve Lombardi wrote:

If I recall correctly, it was Hank Steinbrenner who made sure that Rivera and Posada received what they got the last time they were free agents – whereas it was Brian Cashman who strung out Pettitte until he signed a deal that the G.M. thought was a good deal from the team.

Hilarious…another shot at Cashman, this time for doing the right thing and not overpaying a veteran pitcher that had just pitched like complete crap in the 2nd half of the 2008 season (injured or not, facts are facts).

When he spends too much, he’s a bad GM. When he gets a good deal, he’s a bad GM. When he bangs his wife on Tuesdays instead of Thursday, he’s a bad GM. When he eats a candy bar instead of fruit at 4pm, he’s a bad GM. Asinine to be criticizing Cashman for negotiating a fair contract with Andy Pettitte.