Yankees' Posada is planning to retire

One by one, the Core Four is bidding farewell. Catcher Jorge Posada, a member of the New York Yankees for his entire 17-year career, plans to announce his retirement, according to a major league source. Posada, 40, is not expected to make his decision official for "at least a couple of weeks," the source said. New York radio station WFAN was the first to report that Posada will end his career, joining fellow Core Fore member Andy Pettitte, a left-hander who retired last offseason. Shortstop Derek Jeter and closer Mariano Rivera, the other two members of the Core Four, remain active members of the Yankees. Posada, a free agent, instructed his agents, Seth and Sam Levinson of ACES, not to make calls on his behalf this offseason, according to a source. The agents fielded calls and accepted offers, the source said, and Posada wanted to wait until after the holidays "to see where his heart was with respect to playing." The Yankees did not plan for Posada to return. So, if Posada wanted to continue his career, he would have needed to sign with another team. In the end, he simply chose to play no more. The Yankees replaced Posada as their starting catcher at the start of last season and gradually reduced the switch-hitter to a left-handed designated hitter. Posada batted only .235/.315/.398 in 387 plate appearances during the regular season. However, he was one of the Yankees' best hitters in their Division Series loss to the Detroit Tigers, going 6-for-14 with four walks. He likely will receive strong Hall of Fame consideration after finishing with a career batting line of .273/.374/.474 and producing 275 home runs and 1,065 RBI in 1,829 games