Despite the many reports from friends of Andy "Who Knew I Was So Damn Popular And That So Many Of My Friends Were So Damn Chatty?" Pettitte, the dear fellow will not be collecting social security in 2008 (neither will any of us, ever, but I have been told to keep my liberal leanings under wraps as much as I can here...). Word came today that he has decided to return to the Bronx to pitch for the team, though it doesn't appear to be known yet just how much cash he'll be netting.

This is great news for the Yanks as we head into the first week of December and the first days of the always-exciting winter meetings (all y'all in Nashville, keep your eyeballs peeled for some Steinbrother activity at the local $40-per-martini bar). A lefty pitcher was needed like nobody's business, and I believe the lack of Pettitte as a perceived option was making the Santanamania kick into overdrive. As for that potential trade excitement, the Yanks upped the ante by putting Hughes and Melky on the table to counter the Sox's offer of Ellsbury, but Hank Stein said that if the Twins don't make a decision today then the team aint willing to stick around and haggle all winter. Personally I think the Twins would be downright borderline mentally challenged to value Ellsbury over Melky and Hughes when trading away their best pitcher - picking up Melky and Hughsie for years when they aren't going to have Santana for more than one year even if they don't trade him seems to be a no-brainer to me - but whether they will buckle under Stein's pressure and make an effort to deal the boy today is unclear. One thing IS clear, though: if the Yankees get Santana, their rotation officially becomes frightening - to other teams, finally.

I don't really want to see Hughsie and Melky go - who would - but a Santana-Pettitte-Wangster-IKen-Jobamania starting 5 is way too good a prospect to let slip away. [Sidenote: I completely forgot about the existence of The Moose when I wrote this earlier today. I didn't just forget he was on the team or that we had him under contract, I literally forgot he even existed. Sorry Moosester. Now stay the fuck out of my fantasy rotation.]