Posada obviously has deep ties with Marlins CEO Derek Jeter. The pair starred together for years with the Yankees, forming half of the legendary “core four” that helped lead the New York organization to five World Series titles.

A resident of the Miami area, Posada has already established something of a presence around Marlins Park. He’ll now have a direct tie to the organization, though it remains to be seen how significant his role will be.

Posada hung up his spikes after the 2011 campaign, wrapping up an excellent 17-year career. Since then, however, Posada has kept a relatively low profile in terms of his involvement with Major League Baseball.

More out of the NL East…

• FanRag’s Jon Heyman writes that one reason the Phillies might’ve made the surprising decision to remove Pete Mackanin as manager just months after giving him an extension was that the arrival of players like Rhys Hoskins, Nick Williams and other young talents may have somewhat accelerated the team’s timeline. Heyman writes that the Phils viewed Mackanin as “more of a caretaker” than a long-term solution, and they may now look for a skipper who’ll hold down the fort for years to come. Heyman notes that having a more concrete manager in place could be a selling point next winter when the team could pursue multiple top names in free agency.
• Heyman also reports that Braves chairman John Schuerholz and president of baseball ops John Hart are “said to be at odds” with one another, though Hart firmly denied the notion. “John and I are lifelong friends, and there is mutual baseball respect as well,” Hart tells Heyman. “Nobody totally agrees on every player, staff member, etc. That’s just baseball.” Heyman adds that Schuerholz “would love” to bring Royals GM Dayton Moore on board to run the team’s baseball ops department and groom Schuerholz’s son, Jonathan. The younger Schuerholz is currently the team’s assistant director of player development. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale tweeted yesterday that Moore is “more open” to leaving the Royals for the Braves than in the past, though the decision will likely boil down to whether he’s given full authority over the team’s baseball operations department. That’d suggest that Hart sticking around and holding onto the “president” title he’s held for the past few seasons would be a deterrent to hiring Moore.
• Derek Jeter’s former teammates Jorge Posada, Tino Martinez and Andy Pettitte are all candidates for jobs with the Marlins, reports Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. It’s not yet clear what role any would have with the organization, if hired, though Martinez’s first stint with the Marlins didn’t exactly end well, as he resigned from his post as hitting coach after allegations about being abusive with his players. In other Marlins news, Heyman writes that Jeter is “serious” about bringing Yankees exec Gary Denbo over to the Miami front office — likely as the head of player development and scouting. Michael Hill is expected to maintain his duties as the team’s president of baseball operations. Denbo’s contract with the Yankees is up soon, Heyman notes.

• One rival executive expects the Orioles to discuss trades involving left-hander Zach Britton later in the spring, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter). The Orioles have limited roster spots and lots of young arms, including Britton and Jake Arrieta. Troy Renck of the Denver Post suggests the Rockies will call later on in Spring Training (Twitter link).
• Jorge Posada, now a guest instructor with the Yankees, says he's not going to be coming out of retirement any time soon, Jack Curry of the YES Network reports (on Twitter). "I have no interest in playing ball," Posada said.
• While the Yankees are optimistic about their chances in 2013, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports that others are skeptical. One GM has his doubts that the Yankees will be playing in October. "I don't think they are a playoff team," the GM said. A second GM wondered why they weren't more aggressive this past offseason and an owner suggested they're "a little long in the tooth."

“No comeback for me,” said Posada. “I’m good with what I’m doing and I was happy with the decision I made last year around this time. I’m enjoying the family … I miss certain things about the game. You’re always going to miss certain things. I, obviously, miss my teammates the most.”

Posada, 41, announced his retirement last January and will be in camp with the Yankees as a guest instructor this spring. He hit .235/.315/.398 in 387 plate appearances during his final season in 2011 and is a career .273/.374/.474 hitter. The Yankees still lack a DH and could also use an upgrade behind the plate.

• In this week’s edition of Ask BA, Jim Callis of Baseball America explains that he prefers Rangers right-hander Yu Darvish over Pineda in the long term. However, Pineda isn't far behind Darvish in Callis’ estimation.
• One scout says Noesi could be the "surprise piece" for the Mariners, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
• Jorge Posada will discuss his retirement at a press conference at Yankee Stadium tomorrow morning, the Yankees announced. News broke a couple of weeks ago that the long time backstop has decided to call it a career.
• Pita Rona, a 17-year-old New Zealand native, signed with the Orioles, TVNZ reports. Director of international operations David Stockstill and GM Dan Duquette confirmed the move. New Zealand has yet to produce a Major League player.
•  The White Sox announced that they promoted former player and manager Buddy Bell to the role of VP, player development and special assignments.
• The first financial proposals to buy the Dodgers arrived over the weekend and the soft deadline for submissions is today, Yahoo’s Tim Brown tweets.

Damon spent four seasons in pinstripes, hitting .285/.363/.458 from 2006-2009. He hit .261/.326/.418 with 16 homers and 19 steals for the Rays last year, with 596 of his 647 plate appearances coming as the DH. The Orioles have expressed interest in him this month, though a return to Tampa is unlikely after they signed Luke Scott. Andy Martino of The New York Daily News says the Yankees have not yet fully evaluated their DH options following the Montero trade, and MLB.com's Bryan Hoch adds that they may be okay with Andruw Jones and minor league slugger Jorge Vazquez at the position to start the year (Twitter links).

• Posada instructed his agents, Seth and Sam Levinson of ACES, not to make calls on his behalf this offseason, a source told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  However, the agents fielded calls and accepted offers as Posada waited until after the holidays to make his final determination.
• Speaking of members of the Core Four, closer Mariano Rivera has said he might know by Spring Training whether he intends to keep pitching when his contract expires after this year, but won't say which way he's leaning, writes Marc Carig of The Star-Ledger.  The 42-year-old posted a 1.91 ERA with 8.8 K/9 and 1.2 BB/9 last season.
• General Manager Brian Cashman isn't sure if the club will have interest in Hiroyuki Nakajima when he'll be an unrestricted free agent after the 2012 season, writes Anthony McCarron of the New York Daily News.  As expected, the Yankees are now in on Eric Chavez after being unable to come to terms on a deal with Nakajima.
• McCarron also writes that Cashman & Co. believe that other teams are seeking too much on the trade market in return for pitching.
• Nakajima is a classic example of the flaws in the posting process, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  While waiting one more year isn't a terrible outcome for the shortstop, it had serious consequences for another Japanese player, right-hander Hisashi Iwakuma.  Iwakuma nearly had a four-year, $36MM deal with the A's last offseason but wound up inking a one-year, $1.5MM deal with the Mariners this week.
• Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter) hears that Nakajima was offered about $1MM by the Yankees, but the bigger issue for him was the role he would have had with the Bombers.  The infielder was a starter and a star player for the Saitama Seibu Lions.

Posada spent his entire 17 big league career with the Yankees after being drafted by the club in the 24th round of the 1990 draft.  The catcher hit .273/.374/.474 for his career with 275 home runs.  In total, Posada earned five All-Star nominations, including his resurgent 2007 campaign.  That year, Posada hit .338/.426/.543 with 20 home runs and finished sixth in the voting for AL MVP.

According to Baseball Reference, Posada earned more than $117MM lifetime from the Yankees.  The catcher re-upped with the Bombers prior to the 2008 season with a four-year, $52.4MM deal.

Two weeks ago, the catcher's father said that Posada was receiving interest from the Rays, Phillies, and Orioles.  It's unclear how strong the interest was from those clubs as he didn't seem to be a clear fit for any of them.  The O's were said to be after someone who could catch everyday if neccessary and the 40-year-old Posada likely couldn't provide that.

11:38am: Recently, we learned that Jorge Posada would like to continue playing in 2012 if he can find the right situation.  There appears to be interest in the veteran as the Rays, Orioles, and Phillies have inquired on Posada, the catcher's father told Javier Maymi of ESPNDeportes.com (Spanish link). 

Sources told Maymi that the Rays are interested in exploring the possibility of signing Posada as a reserve first baseman, designated hitter, and backup to Jose Molina.  The Rays already have Jose Lobaton and Robinson Chirinos to support Molina and even though both catchers suffered injuries over the winter, they are expected to be fine heading into Spring Training.

The Phillies would also be a curious fit for Posada with Jim Thome already providing a power bat against right-handed pitching.  As for the Orioles, they reportedly didn't have much interest in Posada a month ago as they were seeking someone who could catch every day if necessary.

• The Athletics feel like they're much closer to moving Andrew Bailey than Gio Gonzalez, but even that may not happen until after the Meetings, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
• GM Walt Jocketty finds the lack of action in Dallas for the Reds so far "very frustrating," says MLB.com's Mark Sheldon. Jocketty said he was approached with one proposal today that' he's considering, but "nothing is close."
• Candidates for the Royals' utility infielder opening include Edgar Renteria, Mark DeRosa, Orlando Cabrera, and Carlos Guillen, tweets Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star. No deals are imminent.
• The Rays are still attempting to figure out the best way to bolster their offense, writes Bill Chastain at MLB.com.
• The Mariners are displaying interest in Arthur Rhodes, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
• Jorge Posada would still like to play if he can find the right situation, tweets Jon Heyman of MLB Network.
• Former Angels GM Bill Stoneman will return to the team for another year as special advisor to the GM, tweets Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times.

• The Braves want a young outfielder and shortstop plus other players for Jair Jurrjens. 
• The Yankees have looked at free agent left-hander Mike Gonzalez.
• The Nationals will push for C.J. Wilson, according to Heyman. They want a left-handed starter and Wilson appears to be their top target.
• The Marlins are optimistic about signing Jose Reyes and they are considering upping their initial bid (it was in the $75-90MM range). The Mets and Marlins appear to be Reyes' two main suitors, but interested teams view the Tigers as a threat to sign the shortstop. “They are good poker players,” one exec said.
• The Astros are shopping Wandy Rodriguez, Brett Myers and Carlos Lee. I’d guess it’s unlikely they make a move before they hire a new GM.
• The Astros "will do whatever it takes'' to hire Rays executive Andrew Friedman, according to Heyman. Friedman is unsure if he wants to leave the Rays, however.
• The Padres and Brewers are showing interest in former Mets and Expos GM Omar Minaya and he may make a decision soon.
• Jorge Posada would like to play if he can find the right job and Heyman suggests the Marlins are a possible fit for the switch-hitter.

• The Braves are not planning to bid on Yoenis Cespedes, despite having some front office officials at one of the Cuban outfielder's recent workouts in the Dominican Republic, reports Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com.  David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution says the Atlanta officials were making the trip to visit the team's Latin American operations (both Twitter links).
• Nationals GM Mike Rizzo was scouting Cespedes in the Dominican, but Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post reports Rizzo was also there to check out Cuban outfielders Jorge Soler and Henry Urrutia, plus right-hander Armando Rivero.  Rizzo predicts Soler will receive a richer deal than Leonys Martin's $15.5MM contract with the Rangers.
• Mets GM Sandy Alderson talked to reporters today (including Andrew Keh of the New York Times) and said he had had no contact with Jorge Posada's representatives.  It was reported earlier today that Posada approached the Mets about a job and been rejected, though Posada's agent Seth Levinson denied the rumor.   
• "The reliever market right now is a little bit hard to predict,” Alderson said. “The signings that have taken place so far I think have emboldened agents to this point.”  Alderson was still confident the Mets will obtain some bullpen help at a reasonable price, pointing out that the number of quality arms still on the market.
• An unnamed NL executive tells Joel Sherman of the New York Post that the Marlins have been "very active.  It'd be no surprise to me if they opened [their] new stadium with Jose Reyes, C.J. Wilson and a new good closer."  The Marlins got the first piece of that puzzle tonight by agreeing to terms with Heath Bell. 
• Wilson Valdez is a non-tender candidate, but Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer thinks the Phillies should hang onto the utilityman.

• The Red Sox are content to wait out the market for closers, since so many of them are available.
• Mark Buehrle is drawing interest from 14 teams, Heyman reports.
• Opposing GMs expect the Cubs to trade Matt Garza.
• The Mets would offer Jose Reyes $80MM for five years, but would not guarantee a six or seven-year contract.
• Jorge Posada inquired with the Mets about a job and heard the team wasn't interested, according to Heyman. However, agent Seth Levinson told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that "there is no truth to that report. None" (Twitter link).
• The Marlins met with Bell and seem very aggressive. “This is no publicity stunt,” Heyman writes.
• Miami was interested in meeting with free agent closer Ryan Madson, but the right-hander declined, since their offer “wasn’t right.”
• The Mets and Orioles are among the teams showing interest in Jason Varitek, Heyman writes. The Orioles are definitely looking for backup catching help, but it appeared earlier in the week that they were uninterested in Varitek. GM Dan Duquette favors players who could catch every day if necessary.

Pinto has a 1.42 ERA with a 42K/16BB ratio in 43 2/3 innings as a starter in the Venezuelan Winter League this year, for what it’s worth. He last pitched in the Major Leagues for the 2010 Marlins. In parts of five seasons with the Marlins, Pinto posted a 3.62 ERA with 8.6 K/9, 5.9 BB/9 and a 42.4% ground ball rate in 231 innings (244 relief appearances).

The Orioles don’t currently have interest in free agents Jason Varitek or Jorge Posada as possible backup catchers, since they prefer someone who could catch every day if necessary. Matt Wieters is the lone catcher on the Orioles’ 40-man roster at the moment.

• Team sources tell Gordon Edes of ESPN Boston that Ben Cherington is "extremely high" on Dale Sveum.  The former Red Sox third base coach is one of five candidates that appear to be the finalists to be Boston's new manager.  Edes guesses that Cherington may have already settled on his choice and "is just going through the process" for the sake of due diligence.  
• We heard yesterday from SI's Jon Heyman that Jorge Posada could sign with the Orioles or Marlins if he decides to keep playing, but Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com doesn't see Posada in Baltimore "under any circumstances" next year.  I agree with Melewski; it's hard to imagine Posada wanting to spend his probable last season as a bench player for a non-contender.
• Bob Klapisch of the Record lays out the case for Posada to retire.
• Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos enters this offseason with much more "clarity" about the state of his team after spending two years remaking the roster, writes Rogers Sportsnet's Shi Davidi.
• Melvin Mora tells Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun that he wants to return to the Orioles.  If not Baltimore, Mora wants to play on the East Coast to be near his wife and six children.