Joe Torre and Alex Rodriguez aren't the only high-profile Yankees who might not be back in the Bronx next year.
Closer Mariano Rivera, catcher Jorge Posada and left-hander Andy Pettitte are among the star free agents who might decide not to return next season.
And Rivera indicated Monday night that he intends to test the market. Rivera, who has been a mainstay in the late innings for the Yankees since their storied run of four World Series titles in five years began in 1996, lobbied for an extension in spring training but was rebuffed.
"They had the opportunities and they didn't do nothing with me," Rivera said, according to the Star-Ledger of Newark. "So we'll see what happens. ... This is a business. Nothing against the New York Yankees.
"They figured it was the best for the team and I'm OK with it. ... We'll see what happens. But I would never hold anything against [the Yankees]."
Posada said earlier this season that he would like to test the free-agent market, but Monday night he was non-committal on his future plans.
"I'll talk about that later," Posada said, according to The New York Daily News. "We just lost a series. There's nothing to talk about, nothing to talk about Joe Torre, nothing to talk about right now."
Ten days after the finish of the World Series, Rodriguez can opt out of the remaining three years of the 10-year, $250 million contract he signed with Texas in 2000.
"One of the reasons I came here was to help this team win a world championship," Rodriguez said Monday night. "I have failed at that."
Pettitte has a $16 million player option for next season. Like Posada, he wasn't ready to speculate on his future Monday night.
"The biggest thing for me is just my family," he said, according to the Star-Ledger. "I have to get somewhere where I can talk to them about it and figure out what I'm going to do."
Rivera, Pettitte and Posada are home-grown Yankees and have played for Torre throughout their careers -- although Pettitte spent three seasons in Houston as well. Yankees owner George Steinbrenner told the Bergen Record that if the Yankees didn't advance to the American League Championship Series this year, he likely would make a change of managers -- and that could also help the players decide if they want to return.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
This is gonna be a huge offseason for the Yanks
