Baseball superstar Derek Jeter has announced on Facebook that he will retire after the 2014 season. The New York Yankees shortstop and captain began his statement by saying, "I know they say that when you dream you eventually wake up. Well, for some reason, I've never had to wake up. Not just because of my time as a New York Yankees but also because I am living my dream every single day."

He continued, "Last year was a tough one for me. As I suffered through a bunch of injuries, I realized that some of the things that always came easily to me and were always fun had started to become a struggle. The one thing I always said to myself was that when baseball started to feel more like a job, it would be time to move forward.

So really it was months ago when I realized that this season would likely be my last...The 2014 season will be my last year playing professional baseball."  

According to an article on ESPN New York, Jeter had a talk with Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner last Wednesday morning to secretly inform him of his plans to retire. The owner said in a statement, "In our conversation, I told him that I respected his decision because I know he put a lot of thought into it. I also let him know that I thought it was great that he was letting fans know now so they will have a chance to say goodbye to him."

Jeter's departure from the team will surely leave a lasting effect on how the fans will view the new Yankees. With Mariano Rivera and Andy Pettitte's retirement, along with Robinson Cano's team change and Alex Rodriguez's suspension, it seems the Yankees are not the same team the fans used to know. Jeter's retirement also signals the end for the Yankees' Core Four.  

In his professional baseball career, Jeter has a batting average of .312 with 256 home runs. He holds the number one ranking in Yankees history for number of games played, stolen bases, hits, and at-bats.