Mauer remains a Twin

Actually the weather isn't as miserable in the Cities in April and October as it is in Cleveland or Detroit.

But they do get a lot rain up there in the summer.

 

It seems that Montero is not likely to stay at C, though they will make sure he can't before giving up. Cervelli will never be the starting C for the Yankees on purpose for any given time. Maybe Romine is the answer.

I agree with all the happys being tossed around, but again remind you all that I remember hearing similar things when Vernon Wells signed with TOronto - how great it was that the small market team was able to keep its own even though everyone had him as the perfect replacement for Bernie Williams when he hit FA. I wish them luck.

 

The Yankees did buy last year's World Series.

But .. . .

Whenever a team in a smaller market builds a new yard, I remember how Cleveland was the model for doing such a thing. Blessed as they were with talent thanks to wise drafting, the Indians locked up their good young players, and Jacobs Field's years of sellouts helped the team bring in enough revenue to stay competitive for a long time. Quality management did the rest.

Then I remember how fans and media thought a new yard would do the same for the Pittsburgh Pirates. New stadium, new revenue streams, ways to stay competitive. Then they gave Jason Kendall - a player I greatly admired - a six-year, $60 million contract. AFTER he nearly lost his entire foot in a baserunning mishap. Over the coming seasons, management then proceeded to show it was, well, Pittsburgh Pirates management.

We can talk about big market vs. small market all we want. The fact is, some small market teams have made it work for an extended period of time, and some large-market teams haven't. The advantage a team like, say, the Red Sox has over a team like the Pirates is the exact advantage they have over the Dodgers, who have proven that money is no panacea.

They're a lot smarter.

 

Minnesota wrote the book on how to survive and relatively thrive with finite resources, ever since they were on the axeman's block.

 

Yeah, let's have a WS up there, in November.

That'll work.

 

Piotr makes good points. Boston > Dodgers despite similar resources because of smarter decision making. And Twins/A's > Pirates/Royals for the same reason.

At the same time, who would you rather be, the Dodgers or the Twins? The bad decision-making big-market club or the smart decision-making small-market club? The stupid big market club can better absorb a bad contract, and make a quick fix, while a small-market club has to make calculated risks and if they don't work out, they're screwed. That's what's still wrong with the baseball economic system.

 

The A's aren't part of that conversation any longer. They are now just another team that is mismanaged.

 

The Dodgers, of course. Better weather for home games in that outdoor stadium.

 

I think it's a great signing, for Mauer, for the Twins organization and for the fans. And if he can keep up production at or close to current levels, it'll be worth every penny.

But Mike Sweeney wants to remind everyone that a lot can happen in five (or eight) years.

 

There's a significant risk that this deal ends up hurting the Twins. Mauer could get hurt, or he could just plain go Kendall on them. Baseball players are pretty fickle.

Not saying they had a choice. If you are in the baseball business, you have to be willing to take risks on baseball players. But this is a fantastic deal for Mauer and a decent one for the Twins.

 

I was just about to make the same point. They're closing in on Pirates territory.

Seattle is close to moving into the same realm as the Twins.

 

I love how all you small-market wimps are trying to find a negative in this. Had Mauer gone FA and signed with the Yanks or Red Sox you'd be screaming bloody murder, as always.
Instead, Mauer and the Twinkies do the right thing and you still try to find a way to piss on it.