Joe Mauer a Twin past 2010? This is the main question all Twins fans will be asking themselves and others in the coming months and years. Joe Mauer will be entering his contract year starting in 2010, which causes a little concern for Twins fans. We all remember what happened to Johan Santana when his contract was close to running out. Although, the odds of us giving Johan a deal that would have kept him here were slim, the Twins sure learned their lesson. Don’t wait until the last few months.
Joe will be entering the last year of his 33 million, 4 year contract come Opening Day 2010. The Twins will certainly need to start extension talks with Joe and his agent, Ron Shapiro, this Spring. The Twins do not typically discuss contracts during the season, as it may cause distractions, so hopefully Bill Smith will make initial contact with Joe and Ron this Spring. Joe has been one of the faces of this franchise since his debut in 2004. He has been a fan favorite and a bright spot in the Major Leagues.
He is such an important asset to this team, that if the Twins fail to re-sign him, it will be a huge loss and could hurt this franchise beyond belief. I personally think no catcher has played better than Joe over the last 3 years. We all know Joe isn’t the power hitting type, but his high batting average has allowed him to win two A.L. batting titles. Up until that point, no catcher had ever won a batting title in the American League. Now he has managed to accomplish that twice over the last three years. He also has one of the best swings in the majors.
An interesting note about Joe’s approach at the plate and his preparation is that his grandfather will watch every game and report to Joe what he did wrong. His grandfather will record every game and analyze every swing Joe takes and then call him after the game tell him what he saw wrong and then Joe will work on that specific issue. That is the type of dedication that every manager loves to see from his players.
By re-signing Joe, it not only helps him and the Twins obviously, but it helps Justin Morneau and the players who hit after him. By having Justin hitting behind Joe, it doesn’t allow the pitcher to intentionally walk Joe, because then they have to pitch to Justin. So he is a very valuable asset to this club.
I believe a deal will get done by the end of the 2009 regular season. Bill Smith can’t allow this to be the Johan fiasco all over again by letting this drag out until the Spring of his final contract year. Ron Shapiro has a good reputation of keeping players with one team for their entire career. The most notable would have to be Kirby Puckett, the hall of fame Twins center fielder. I found it very interesting that Joe has the same agent that Kirby had when he was with the Twins. Ron was able to keep Kirby in Minnesota his entire career, so this is a very good thing to see. I truly hope the same can happen to Joe come time to discuss his contract.
The biggest issue will obviously be the money involved in the contract talks. With the Yankees and Red Sox likely waiting in the wings if the Twins can’t sign Mauer, there is a lot of pressure for Bill. I think the big question for Bill is, “How high do you go with the dollar amount?” Do you go above 18-20 million per year? Going that high for the Twins would be a first. But with the new stadium opening next season, the Twins will be bringing in more revenue, thus they can give players more money. But as well all know, the Twins are not quick to give out the big bucks. The other question is one Joe will have to answer himself, “Do I want to continue to play in Minnesota? If so, do I give them a hometown discount?”
Being a hometown kid, growing up in St. Paul, it would be very hard for Joe to leave Minnesota. This is truly why I think Joe will remain a Twin past the 2010 season. But anything can happen, especially when the Yankees and Red Sox will be ready to pounce when the 2010 free agency season begins. Until then, lets just cherish the moments we possibly have left with Joe Mauer and the great athlete he is and always will be.
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