Andy Pettitte Looks Likely|Ben Sheets Deal Appears Dead

The Yankees moved quickly on their first two pieces of the rotation but have hit a speed bump with the final piece.

Their preferred pitcher to fill the No. 5 slot is Andy Pettitte, and based on what he’s said all season he favors a return to the Bronx. According to Joe Girardi, that is still the case.

“I talked to him recently and he is still excited about coming back,” Girardi told the Post yesterday. “They continue to talk; it takes time. He is very excited about the additions to the club and he wants to be here. I think he could help.”

This deal looks inevitable. We heard word last week that Pettitte had a three-year offer, but heard nothing of the team and nobody has stepped up to confirm that offer. On top of that, Brian Cashman has made it no secret of the Yankees desire to see the lefty return.

“We would like to have him back and he would like to come back, so it sets up for a happy ending,” Cashman said.

My guess is he’ll return on a one-year $12.5 million deal. Hopefully this doesn’t drag on forever though.

What makes it seem even more likely that the Yankees and Pettitte will eventually get a deal done is that nothing positive has come out about Ben Sheets lately.

Here is what Joel Sherman had to say about the Yankees interest in Sheets these days:

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“They have real concerns about his health, especially they fret about the righty’s history with back ailments. The Yankee theory is they already have taken their health gamble by investing in A.J. Burnett for five years.”

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That makes sense, you don’t want too many injury risks on the team. One is fine, they have plenty of young pitchers in the minors to pick up the slack. Two red flags in the rotation and we could have a repeat of 2008 where they are relying too much on inexperienced pitchers.