Pettitte, Yankees Agree at $5.5 MIllion

NEW YORK - Andy Pettitte and the Yankees agreed Monday to a $5.5 million, one-year contract that brings the left-hander back to New York.

Pettitte can make an additional $6.5 million on performance bonuses and bonuses based on time on the active roster. Late last year, New York had offered a deal that would have guaranteed Pettitte $10 million, down from the $16 million he earned last year.

He joins a starting rotation that already includes CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Chien-Ming Wang and Joba Chamberlain. The deal raised the Yankees' projected opening-day payroll to $196.8 million for 17 players with agreements.

Pettitte pitched for the Yankees from 1995-2003, helping them win four World Series titles, then spent three seasons with his hometown Houston Astros. He returned to the Yankees in 2007 and was 14-14 with a 4.54 ERA last season, his highest ERA since 1999.

Pitching with a sore shoulder, he was 2-7 with a 6.23 ERA in his final 11 starts and missed his last turn of the season.

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AP Baseball Writer Ben Walker and AP freelance writer Mark Didtler contributed to this report.