Mauer remains a Twin

[Rosie]

One of the times I am so pleased to say "I told you so!"

Joe Mauer Agrees To 8-Year Contract With Twins

He's a St. Paul kid, grew up close to where I grew up - I knew he wouldn't leave.

 

[bigpern23]

Shouldn't have given him the no-trade clause - it could kill the franchise if he goes down the tubes for some reason (maybe he gets injured in a homeplate collision and is never the same, god forbid) early in the contract. Catchers are often durable guys, but when they go down, they go down hard and fast (see Varitek, Jason).

Other than that, good for the Twinkies, they have the face of their franchise for the next decade. Glad to see they invested some money from the new park into the product that will be on the diamond inside of it.

 

[Michael Echan]

I had strong doubts that he would leave, but I'm still glad that he's going to be a Twin for the foreseeable future. I think it would have been bad for baseball if he left for a big-market team. Go Twinkies!

 

[cwilson3]

Glad to hear this. Nice to see right before the summer of LeBron.

 

[Football_Bat]

I was one of those who thought the Rangers should've traded Pudge in 2001 before he hit his 10-5 date because he was getting to the point where most catchers begin to break down. Nine years later, he has a World Series ring and is still knocking around the big leagues. You never can tell.

 

[Trey Beamon]

Mauer is worth the money, but the sheer hugeness of that number -- $184 million -- still jumps out at me.

Yay small-market spending!

 

[doubledown68]

Good for the Twinks.

 

[MileHigh]

Good for Mauer, the Twins and baseball.

 

[Herbert Anchovy]

Fourth-largest deal in baseball history.

This puts them on an elite level with the Red Sox and Yankees as far as spending this much on a franchise player (which is certainly not a bad thing).

Paradoxically, I think the problems in the overall economy were a positive factor in getting this done.

 

[Bubbler]

Carl Pohlad is spinning in his grave ... which is a good thing. Good to see the Twins keep one.

 

[dooley_womack1]

Mauer is worth the money, but the sheer hugeness of that number -- $184 million -- still jumps out at me.

Yay small-market spending!

Y'all need to give Garrett Jones that much.

 

[YankeeFan]

So now who plays catcher for the Yankees the next eight years?

 

[LongTimeListener]

Given the numbers involved and the fact that they're stuck with him no matter what in 2017, is a position switch inevitable, or at least even more utilization of the DH? It's hard to imagine laying out $20M+ in eight years for any catcher.

 

[Baron Scicluna]

So now who plays catcher for the Yankees the next eight years?

Jesus Montero is supposed to be the Next Big Thing for the Yankees. If not, Francisco Cervelli.

 

[Rumpleforeskin]

Surgery didn't work? He's going to ravage AL pitching in 2010.

 

[smsu_scribe]

The Twins will always have that small-market aura, but once Mauer's new salary kicks in, Minny's payroll should actually be well above $100 million, assuming they have the same players they've got this season. The 2010 payroll is right around $100 million, I believe.

And that is a good point, LTL. There's already been some talk of making him a DH.

 

[Hank_Scorpio]

Man, I hate it when the small market teams gobble up all the high-priced free agents. So unfair to the big market teams.

 

[Den1983]

I had strong doubts that he would leave, but I'm still glad that he's going to be a Twin for the foreseeable future. I think it would have been bad for baseball if he left for a big-market team. Go Twinkies!

Yup. Very good for Minnesota baseball, and always good for hometown heroes to stay and continue playing.

 

[spnited]

Great, absolutley great, to see the Twins step up and make the deal that had to be made to keep their franchise player.
Proof that so-called small-market teams can keep their best players if they want to.

 

[lantaur]

That sound you heard was Doug Melvin saying "****!"