Yankees feel more optimistic about Pettitte

There is a growing optimism within the Yankees that Andy Pettitte will decide to pitch this season, according to two people familiar with the situation.

Pettitte has been weighing whether to retire throughout the offseason, and Yankees officials saw it as a positive sign that the lefthander recently told manager Joe Girardi that he has been working out since returning from a family vacation in Hawaii.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said Thursday in a text message that there was "nothing" new on Pettitte as another day passed without a definitive answer from the lefthander.

But Yankees pitchers and catchers won't be reporting to Tampa, Fla., for almost three weeks, and the starting pitching-starved Yankees are willing to wait as long as it takes for Pettitte to reach a decision.

Pettitte's agent, Randy Hendricks, has not returned messages about Pettitte in recent weeks.

Cashman and Girardi, meanwhile, have remained in regular contact with Pettitte this offseason, with Cashman having spoken to Pettitte as recently as Monday.

Cashman has said repeatedly that Pettitte told him two months ago that he was "leaning toward retirement," instructing the team to move on without him. But the Yankees have taken note of the fact that Pettitte has yet to follow through on retirement, which they also interpret as a positive sign.

Newsday reported in November that Pettitte has his family's support to return for one more season. That's significant, because the tug of family always has been Pettitte's reason for contemplating retirement during recent offseasons.

Pettitte, 38, is coming off a 2010 season in which he was one of the league's most effective pitchers when healthy, going 11-3 with a 3.28 ERA in 21 starts. But a groin injury sidelined him for nine weeks, and he also was bothered by an achy back during the postseason.

The back end of the Yankees' rotation currently consists of Ivan Nova and Sergio Mitre, so Pettitte's camp would have all the leverage in potential negotiations, putting him in position to receive a raise from his $11.75-million salary last season.