Indians’ Shapiro top executive

The Yankees’ Andy
Pettitte declined a
$16 million option.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Mark Shapiro of the Cleveland Indians was selected major league executive of the year by The Sporting News and presented with the award as the GMs’ annual meetings began Monday.

Shapiro, whose team lost the AL championship series in seven games to the Boston Red Sox, received 13 of 47 votes from major league executives and was followed by Colorado GM Dan O’Dowd with 11.

Pettitte declines option

ORLANDO, Fla. — Andy Pettitte declined his $16 million option with the New York Yankees, still uncertain whether he wants to pitch next season.

“I have spoken with Brian Cashman, who has reiterated what Hank Steinbrenner said about the Yankees wanting to give Andy all the time he needs to decide about next season,” Pettitte’s agent, Randy Hendricks, said Monday.

The 35-year-old left-hander went 15-9 with a 4.05 ERA for the Yankees this year, including 11-3 after the All-Star break.

Maddux returns to Padres

SAN DIEGO — Greg Maddux plans to pad his Hall of Fame credentials with the San Diego Padres next season, agreeing Monday to a $10 million, one-year deal.

Maddux has 347 wins and four Cy Young Awards.

Minaya: Mitchell Report
won’t slow deals

ORLANDO, Fla. — As major league general managers arrived Monday for their annual meetings, the New York Mets’ Omar Minaya said he won’t hesitate to pursue players because they could be listed in George Mitchell’s report as drug users.

“If there was a player that we like and we wanted to get, we’ve just got to go get the player,” Minaya said. “It would be terrible if I was to kind of pass on the player because of — quote, unquote — the potential of the Mitchell Report, and then have that player not be on the list.”