Posada says he could see Pettitte return

Yankees catcher Jorge Posada said Tuesday he would not be surprised if the recently retired Andy Pettitte came back to the team this summer, MLB.com reported.

"It wouldn't surprise me," Posada said. "Andy's a competitor, and that's one thing that you're going to miss when you stop playing. Hopefully, we'll get to see him again."

Pettitte announced his retirement Feb. 4, but many observers were left unconvinced that the 38-year-old had totally closed the door on pitching again.

"I will not pitch this season, I can assure you of that, and I do not plan on pitching again," Pettitte said at a news conference at Yankee Stadium.

Earlier, he said that he felt physically able to pitch in 2011, but decided his heart was not in it.

Posada, whose relationship with Pettitte dates back to the early 90s when both were Yankees minor leaguers, said his friend struggled with the decision.

"He said he was running and throwing and everything felt great," Posada said. "He was looking forward to coming to spring training, and then he started looking around at the faces of his kids and it was tough to leave, I guess."

The Yankees, after failing in their pursuit of prized lefty Cliff Lee, are heading into spring training with two question marks in their starting rotation behind CC Sabathia, Phil Hughes and A.J. Burnett.

The team is hoping veterans Freddy Garcia, Bartolo Colon and Sergio Mitre, along with 24-year-old Ivan Nova, will be able to fill the hole left by Pettitte's retirement.