The New York Yankees captain held a news conference Wednesday, a week after making an announcement many of his teammates said shocked and saddened them.

On the day the team's position players reported for spring training, Jeter spoke in the pavilion behind the third-base stands, where closer Mariano Rivera said last March that 2013 would be his final season.

Jeter, who turns 40 in June, was limited to 17 games last season, hitting 190 with one homer and seven RBIs after breaking an ankle in the 2012 AL championship series opener.

He is a 13-time All-Star and five-time Gold Glove shortstop who led the Yankees to World Series titles in 1996, '98, '99, '00 and `09. Jeter enters his 20th big league season with a .312 average, 256 homers and 1,261 RBIs.


EXTENSIONS FOR BRAVES


The Atlanta Braves have been on a signing spree.

So far they've locked up first baseman Freddie Freeman, right fielder Jason Heyward, starter Julio Teheran, and closer Craig Kimbrel.

On Wednesday, the Braves extended the contracts of general manager Frank Wren and manager Fredi Gonzalez.

Wren and Gonzalez were entering the final years of their contracts and Braves president John Schuerholz simply said he wanted the deals to be done as soon as possible. Terms and the amount of the contracts were not disclosed.

Schuerholz made the announcement before the first full-squad workout of the spring.


ORIOLES, JIMENEZ COMPLETE DEAL


Right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez and the Baltimore Orioles have finalized a $50 million, four-year contract.

The 30-year-old gets salaries of $11.25 million this year, $12.25 million in 2015, $13 million in 2016 and $13.5 million in 2017 under Wednesday's agreement. Each season's salary includes $2.25 million deferred without interest, payable in four equal installments on each July 1 starting in 2018.

He can earn a pair of $400,000 performance bonuses each year, for 32 starts and 200 innings. If he wins a Cy Young Award or is MVP, his salary in each remaining year of the contract would escalate by $500,000. The salaries would go up by $250,000 if he finishes second in either vote and by $150,000 if he is third.

Jimenez, who is to be introduced at a Thursday news conference, is 82-75 with a 3.92 ERA in eight seasons with Colorado and Cleveland, including 13-9 with a 3.30 ERA for the Indians. He was the NL All-Star game starter in 2010, when he was 19-8 with a 2.88 ERA for Colorado.

Baltimore forfeits its first-round selection in June's amateur draft, the 17th pick overall.

Jimenez joins a rotation expected to include Chris Tillman, Wei-Yin Chen, Miguel Gonzalez and Bud Norris. To clear a roster spot, Baltimore designated right-hander Liam Hendriks for assignment.

Contributor: The Associated Press