AL East

Derek Jeter, the captain of the New York Yankees, wants to stay in New York.

The ugly truth, though, is this is a business. It's a brutal business at times as we have seen with other players who have been committed to their teams. At some point, an organization must decide what is best for them.

Derek Jeter has been the face of the Yankees franchise for years now.  He is the captain of the Yankees and it would just seem plain weird with him in another jersey other than the pinstripes.

Although it may seem weird to picture that for some fans, it's quickly becoming a reality.

Here are a few reason why Derek Jeter will not be back with the Yankees next season.

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The Yankees nearly made a trade for a catcher this week.

According to the New York Times' Michael S. Schmidt, the Yankees and Dodgers nearly had a deal worked out that would have sent Francisco Cervelli to Los Angeles for Russell Martin.

The Dodgers did just non-tender Martin, making him a free agent, so now the Yankees wouldn't have to give up anybody if they wanted to pursue Martin to be their next catcher.

Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times has just reported that the Blue Jays could be close to signing catcher A.J. Pierzynski, formerly of the Chicago White Sox.  With the catching position not fully determined, the Jays seem to be looking for insurance behind the plate.

According to a report from FOX Sports columnist Ken Rosenthal, the Toronto Blue Jays are among the teams that are inquiring about third baseman Mark Reynolds availability.

Reynolds, who holds the National League (NL) record for strikeouts in a season with 223 in 2009—and has led the league in strikeouts each of his three full years in the show, appears to be on the Blue Jays radar as a possible replacement for Edwin Encarnacion, who was claimed off waivers from the Oakland Athletics.

For 15 years, Derek Jeter has worn the immortal pinstripes. In that time, he has made a name for himself, becoming the first Yankees captain since the retirement of Don Mattingly, bringing the world renowned New York Yankees five more titles and ultimately becoming the Yankees all-time hit leader and becoming 74 hits away from baseball immortality with 3,000 hits.

Sports Illustrated and ESPN are both reporting that Red Sox team captain Jason Varitek will return to the team for the 2011 season, agreeing to terms with the club on a one-year, $2 million deal that will contain an additional $300,000 in incentives, based on playing time.

Please do not wake me; it is such a peaceful slumber.

My dream—this dream—would normally be a nightmare.

Please heed to the smile on my face and let my eyes remain closed, allow me to lay in reverie with the soothing, pleasant, unimaginable thought that is Derek Jeter in a Boston Red Sox uniform.

Like most sports, a head coaching change means a complete overhaul of the entire coaching staff. While Buck Showalter used Dave Trembley's crew for his time in August and September to finish the season, Showalter has spent the last few months figuring out who he wants to help him in the rebuilding effort.

The adventure took a bit longer than expected—probably because there were so many managerial spots available—but Showalter finally has the guys he wants. 

This is quite an impressive group.

The Boston Red Sox have answered all the many questions surrounding their 2011 catching platoon by re-signing Jason Varitek today to a one-year, $2 million deal, according to multiple sports writers, including SI's Jon Heyman.