Yanks seemingly rule out Sheets

Here’s something to chew on overnight: The Yankees have seemingly decided that Ben Sheets is not a good fit for the team. In Newsday’s wrap-up of the A.J. Burnett signing, Kat O’Brien and Ken Davidoff dropped in a tidbit about the Brewers’ former hurler:

The Yankees, who had hoped to sign Pettitte or Sheets to round out their starting rotation, have decided that Pettitte would be a better fit. Sheets did make 31 starts in 2008, going 13-9 with a 3.09 ERA for the Brewers, but injuries kept him from topping 160 innings between 2005 and 2007.

Another advantage of signing Pettitte instead of Sheets is that Pettitte will require just a one-year contract. General manager Brian Cashman flew to meet with him at his Houston-area home Thursday in hopes of convincing him to accept the Yankees’ one-year, $10-million offer. Pettitte has resisted a pay cut from the $16 million he made in 2008. A club official said: “They just had a good meeting and [Pettitte’s] thinking about things.”

That makes sense to me at this point. While Sheets may have been an intriguing choice based on the roster flexibility his shorter contract would have afforded the Yanks, at this point, there’s really no need to sign him to a multi-year deal. I wonder what the final Ben Sheets market will shake down to be this winter.

(Hat tip to one of our various Steves.)