Andy Pettitte: The $5.5 Million Dollar Bargain

Where would the Yankees be right now if they hadn't re-signed Andy Pettitte? In the winter, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman made a vow to improve the starting pitching. He brought in the two most attractive names on the market, in CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett. While doing so, Cashman almost forgot to re-sign one of their most important players over the last 14 years. It wasn't until January 26th that the Yankees finally re-signed Pettitte to a one-year, $5.5 million dollar deal with incentives. How has Pettitte done thus far, being the oldest member of the starting rotation at age 37? In 11 of his 16 starts, Pettitte has gone at least six innings. Pettitte has also reached seven innings or more six times. He's already gotten to 97.1 innings, with 66 strikeouts, and he's 8-3 with a 4.25 ERA. Sabathia has seven wins, as does Burnett. Joba Chamberlain only has four wins, while Chien-Ming Wang has one. Imagine that, a 37 year old that Brian Cashman nearly didn't bring back to the ... (link)