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Jorge Posada is planning to retire after 17 seasons with the New York Yankees rather than pursue opportunities with other teams.
A person familiar with the decision told the Associated Press on Sat. that the five-time All-Star catcher will announce his retirement this month.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the decision has not yet been made public. Posada’s plans were first reported by sports radio station WFAN.
The 40-year-old Posada won five World Series titles with the team that drafted him in the 24th round of the 1990 draft. He became a free agent after a trying season in New York, the final year of a four-year, 52 million dollars contract.
Earlier this offseason, Posada acknowledged that his career with the Yankees was over, but said he had offers from several other teams.
Posada’s retirement leaves shortstop Derek Jeter and closer Mariano Rivera as the two remaining players from the core group that led the Yankees to four World Series championships from 1996-2000 and one more in ’09. Andy Pettitte retired after the 2010 season.
Only Bill Dickey and Yogi Berra have caught more games in pinstripes than Posada – 1,574.
But Posada lost his catching job before the start of last season and struggled early in his new role as the designated hitter. The switch-hitter was batting .165 against left-handers on May 14 when he was dropped to No. 9 in the batting order and asked out of the game against Boston.

Jorge Posada.

Jorge Posada won’t be venturing outside The Bronx to extend his major league career.
An industry source yesterday confirmed Posada has decided against trying to play in 2012, and will retire a Yankee — made official by a farewell press conference, most likely within the next two weeks.
Posada (who turned 40 in August) was informed by the Yankees earlier this winter he did not fit into their 2012 plans. He had explored the possibility of continuing elsewhere, but with interest limited in his services, he will retire having played his entire career with the Yankees.
The Rays, Orioles and Phillies were among the teams who reportedly had some interest in Posada, who spent last season mostly as a designated hitter.
In 344 at-bats last year, Posada hit .235 with 14 home runs and 44 RBIs. The switch hitter mostly was used as a left-handed batter, after his skills from the right side declined dramatically.
But Posada showed some of his old spark in the Yankees’ AL Division Series loss to the Tigers by going 6-for-14 – 0,429.
For his career, which began in 1995, Posada hit .273 with 275 homers and 1,065 RBIs. Along the way, he joined Bill Dickey, Yogi Berra, Elston Howard and Thurman Munson in a long tradition of standout Yankees catchers.
Posada’s retirement will mark the second straight year in which the Yankees will say farewell to a core player from the team’s run of four world championships in five years, ending in 2000.
Andy Pettitte (who earned five world championship rings with the Yankees) retired before last season. Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera are the remaining Yankees players from the team’s last dynasty.
The Yankees drafted Posada as a second baseman in 1990, but moved him to catcher after one minor league season. He made five All-Star teams as a catcher.
Posada’s last contract with the Yankees came following the 2007 season, when he agreed to a four-year deal worth 52 million dollars. He missed most of the following season after undergoing surgery to repair the anterior capsule in his right shoulder. But Posada rebounded and was a key component of the Yankees’ 2009 world championship.

The ‘Core Four’ is down to two.
New York Yankees catcher Jorge Posada is planning to retire, a source told ESPN The Magazine’s Buster Olney.
The source told Olney that Posada (40) is trying to determine the right time to make an announcement, which is expected to be in the next two weeks.
Posada, shortstop Derek Jeter, closer Mariano Rivera and left-handed pitcher Andy Pettitte compiled the core group that helped the Yankees win five World Series championships between 1996-2009.
Pettitte retired after the 2010 season.
Only Bill Dickey and Yogi Berra have caught more games in pinstripes than Posada – 1,574.
But Posada lost his catching job before the start of last season and struggled early in his new role as the designated hitter. The switch-hitter was batting .165 against left-handers on May 14 when he was dropped to No. 9 in the batting order and asked out of the game against Boston.
Posada hit .235 with 14 home runs and 44 RBIs last season.
He then hit .429 in the five-game division playoffs series loss against Detroit, receiving several long ovations and chants of ‘Jor-ge! Jor-ge!’ at Yankee Stadium.
After Posada’s final game last October, he was asked what playing for the Yankees had meant to him – and he broke down in tears, before walking away from reporters.
Posada probably could have continued his career somewhere as a designated hitter and padded his career numbers of 275 home runs, 1,065 RBIs and 936 walks. But Posada always cherished the privilege and responsibility of being the Yankees catcher.
He viewed Thurman Munson as an idol, and converted from second base to catcher after being drafted by the Yankees in the 24th round of the 1990 draft.
Swinging with pine tar on his hands, and without batting gloves, he was a five-time All-Star, caught David Wells’ perfect game in 1998, and played in 125 games in October. He is a borderline Hall of Fame candidate, but his legacy as a Yankee probably means more to him.