What to do with Andy?

From Kat O'Brien:

The smart money early this season would have been on the Yankees re-signing one of their veteran starting pitchers - Andy Pettitte - while saying thank you and so long to the other, Mike Mussina.

With just a few weeks left in the season, the odds have shifted. Mussina's excellent season has been well-documented. Whether or not the 39-year-old wants to continue pitching in 2009 is up in the air. But whether or not the Yankees will offer him a contract for next season is not. If Mussina wants to return for a reasonable contract, the Yankees almost certainly will make that option available.

The more intriguing question could be what they decide to do with Pettitte. Like Mussina, Pettitte has not made a final decision about what he wants to do next year, at least not publicly. In an interview this week, though, Pettitte sure sounded like someone who will want to pitch at least one more season, and to be a part of the new Yankee Stadium.

"There's no doubt, when you look over there and see it [the new stadium], I would like to pitch there," Pettitte said.

"The big thing for me is just getting to the offseason and seeing how I'm feeling physically," Pettitte said. "It's a matter of, can I hold up, and if I want to go through it again. I take it extremely personally, whether I can help this team. Especially pitching in the East, it's a challenge."

Pettitte, who starts tonight, should have five starts remaining to show he's just been in a rough patch. He, for one, does not believe any of his recent struggles are age-related.

"To tell you the truth, that'll never be a concern for me because I've already pitched with a flexor tendon torn and come back after surgery when I was topping out at 84, 85 miles per hour," Pettitte said. "Me being lefthanded and throwing 90-plus miles per hour, I don't think age is going to be a problem. I've had to make a ton of adjustments in my entire career ... I just think I'm having bad sequences."

A major-league scout who has watched Pettitte pitch several times this season said he thinks Pettitte is a worthwhile investment. The scout said: "He's got really good control, a delivery that allows him to repeat at will. He's learned to pitch without a plus fastball ... I think he's got at least two more years."

I think the Yankees should definitely bring Pettitte back. He may not be having the year we expected from him, but he hasn't been terrible either. I also believe part of his problems this season come from his turbulent off-season which may finally be catching up with him.

If we've learned anything this year it's that you can never have too much starting pitching, EVER. Remember back in March when the Yankees supposedly had a surplus of starting pitching? Well, how'd that work out? Isn't it amazing what a few injuries and poor performances can do to a pitching staff? Darrell Rasner and Sidney Ponson have made 32 starts for this team, so much for a surplus of starters.

This is why the Yankees must bring back Pettitte. Even though he has struggled, he's still been a decent starter, which is more than can be said for Rasner and Ponson who both have ERAs over 5 this season. And even if the Yanks go out and sign CC Sabthia they should still bring Pettitte back.

CC, Wang, Joba, Moose, and Pettitte, that is what the 2009 opening day starting rotation should be. Pettitte would be the fifth starter on that staff, and he is certainly good enough to be a fifth starter. And if anyone gets hurt you have guys like Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy, and others waiting in the wings in the minors. The last thing the Yankees need is another season where they are giving 30+ starts to guys like Sidney Ponson and Darrell Rasner.