Return Of The Prodigal Son?

When Andy Pettitte signed with the Houston Astros following the 2003 season, a game of he said/they said ensued. Pettitte said the Yankees “never showed him the love” during the negotiation process. The Yankees, who didn’t make a competitive offer until the last minute, claimed that Pettitte never really wanted to return and it was his intention to “go home” all along, citing the fact that Pettitte took $7.5 million less to leave. In actuality, the Yankees were concerned that Pettitte’s balky elbow might be a problem, and Pettitte, with strong urgings from family, may have really wanted to return to his native Texas. Either way, Pettitte became the first homegrown Yankee, still in his prime, to leave as a free agent.

Pettitte will become a free agent again after this season, which means if Houston is out of the race by the trade deadline, Pettitte could find himself in another uniform come August. Could that uniform be the familiar pinstripes of the New York Yankees?



Pettitte was a contender for the Cy Young in 2003, shaking off some early injury woes to finish 21-8. He was at his best after the All-Star break going 10-2 and acting as the Yankees stopper. He won the 2nd game of the ALDS, ALCS, and World Series after the Yankees had dropped the first game in each series. His final appearance in pinstripes was a masterful 7-inning outing in the Marlins series clincher in Game 6. Unfortunately for Pettitte and the Yankees, Josh Beckett was even better on that day.

Pettitte’s first season in Houston made the Yankees front-office look pretty good. Swinging a bat regularly for the first time in his career, Pettitte tore the flexor tendon in his pitching elbow. Limited to 15 starts, Pettitte finished just 6-4 with a 3.90 ERA.

Pettitte started off slowly in 2005, having to work the strength up in his elbow. He finished the first half 6-7, with a 3.09 ERA, for the light-hitting Astros. Just like the prior year, the Astros made a strong run that would land them in the playoffs. At the forefront was Pettitte. He was 11-2 in the second half with a miniscule 1.69 ERA. Even more impressive were his overall numbers in the hitter-friendly confines of Minute Maid Park - a 10-4 mark with a 2.12 earned run average.

Pettitte is in the final year of a 3-year, back-loaded contract that will see him earn $17.5 million this season. Should the Astros find themselves out of the pennant race in late July, new GM Tim Purpura could find himself fielding a number of offers for his tall lefthander. There is an immediate drawback to this - Houston seemed to be out of the division and wildcard races each of the last two seasons. In 2003, they acquired Carlos Beltran and rallied to capture the wildcard. Last season they topped that achievement by winning the wildcard and advancing to the World Series before running into the Chicago White Sox steamroller. Hunsicker and the Astros front office may find themselves in the same position this year, and if history is a basis for their actions, they’ll be looking to improve the team rather than dismantle it.

What to do, what to do?

That being said, the Astros would most likely be able to unload the remaining $8.75 million or so of Pettitte’s contract. One player who is not committed to playing this year as of yet could have a big impact as well. Roger Clemens’ final destination could very well determine the fate of the Astros and Pettitte’s future. If Clemens were to return to Houston, there’s a much greater chance that Pettitte would complete the year with Houston as well. Pettitte, of course, would come at a high cost. The Yankees would most certainly have to part with one or both of their highly touted prospects, Phillip Hughes and Eric Duncan.



Despite all of the possible drawbacks, don’t think for a second that a deal couldn’t happen. Thomas Wolfe obviously never saw the Yankees under George Steinbrenner. Otherwise he might have said, “there are times you can go home again”. Bobby Murcer, Oscar Gamble, Jim Leyritz, Mike Stanton, David Wells, Jeff Nelson, Reuben Sierra, Randy Velarde, and Gerald Williams are a just a handful of the players that have been dealt away or left as free agents during the Steinbrenner era, who one day returned to don the Yankees uniform again.

Will Andy Pettite be next? I certainly hope so.