Wow, that really came out of nowhere. Reports have confirmed that Andy Pettitte has come out of retirement and signed a 1-year, $2.5 million minor league deal with the New York Yankees.
Pettitte is clearly one of the best postseason pitchers to ever play the game but why come back now after a year in retirement? Does Pettitte really have anything left to prove? Is Roger Clemens also coming back? Maybe the Yankees are trying to get the band back together for one last hurrah! Pettitte will no doubt start out the season in the minor leagues but I fully expect him to join the rotation somewhere around mid-year if not sooner. He may fill a hole as the 5th starter or even take the #4 spot if he is even close to his old self.
So what does this mean for your fantasy team? I would absolutely NOT draft Pettitte in any of your leagues unless you want to take a big chance on him with your very last pick. He will most likely sit on your bench for a while and waste space until he is ready to join the Yankees rotation. During that time you could have a much more productive player filling that bench spot. Even if Pettitte joins the rotation there is no guarantee that he will be the productive pitcher he was in seasons past. Keep an eye on this situation but let someone else take the chance on draft day.
