Derek Jeter dropped the bombshell news about his retirement on the Yankees this morning – just hours before he announced on Facebook that the 2014 season will be his last.
Sources confirmed to The Post that Jeter, 39, personally called Yankee’s principal owner Hal Steinbrenner this morning to tell him that he was about to announce his retirement on social media.
One source said, “Derek called Hal Steinbrenner personally this morning and told him the news. It was a very calm, respectful phone call.
“Derek wanted to do it his way, as Derek often does, by announcing on Facebook.
“He said he wanted, out of respect for the Steinbrenner family, to give Hal a heads up. They were the only two who knew about this within the Yankees organization until Derek told his fans on Facebook just after 2pm.
“Nobody within the Yankee organization is surprised, Derek is nearly 40, he is coming off a tough injury and he’s a guy who likes to go out on top.
“But there is huge sadness he is retiring. Derek is an icon, he’s in the category of Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle, he’s an irreplaceable person, and an irreplaceable player.”
Yankees President Randy Levine said, “We always trust Derek will make the right decision, he knows himself better than anyone. You cannot replace him, he is one of the greatest Yankees of all time and one of the greatest people ever.”
There’s no immediate word what will be Jeter’s next move following his retirement.
But there have been signs he is preparing for life beyond the Yankees. He joined Twitter for the first time on January 14 to promote his Turn 2 Foundation, which he established in 1996 to keep young people away from drugs and alcohol.
And he sold his Manhattan apartment in the Trump World Tower in late 2012 for $15.5 million to spend more time at his Tampa mansion dubbed “St Jetersburg.”