The face of the Minnesota Twins is staying at home. Joe Mauer, the pride of St. Paul, agreed Sunday to an eight-year contract extension worth $184 million that begins next season and runs through 2018. The deal includes a full no-trade clause. The Twins will officially announce the deal Monday night at a press conference in Fort Myers, Fla. Mauer's new contract will be the fourth-largest in major league history in terms of total value, trailing only Alex Rodriguez's two mega-deals ($252 million with the Rangers, $275 million with the Yankees) and Derek Jeter's $189 million contract that expires at the end of this season. Mauer will make $12.5 million this season, the last in a four-year extension he signed in February 2007, before his new contract kicks in. http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2010/03/21/twins-give-joe-mauer-new-8-year-deal/ I thought the twins were a small market team. If I had the ability to play multiple sports would have to chose baseball.
they had too, no way you let him walk. this has to be making the cardinals pee down their legs, what kind of deal are they gonna have to deal with pujols? he'll prob get more than a-rod did.
Great news! I was going to lose even more interest in baseball to see another prized free agrent sign with the Red Sox or the Yankees...
DH? I was surprised to see the Twins shell out this type of money. That's usually their whole payroll.
Yeah I was thinking they might likely use the DH spot to prolong his ability to be their starting catcher. Apparently the Twins just built a new park and were able to make this big of a deal due to their increased revenue.
They had to do it, especially with the new stadium opening up this year. It'll be interesting to see how long he's able to hold up physically.
I can't believe they're forced to shell out that much for Mauer. I mean, are there really teams who'll pay more than that in FA? In today's economy? I'm willing to swallow this amount if Mauer's currently a FA and the bidding got to this high because the Yankees and the Sox are involved. But for a contract extension this is nothing short of insane. Btw, Mauer played 102 games at catcher last year, and 28 as a DH. This is why you can't pay catchers that much. They simply can't play as many games as other positional players. It's one thing to give Pujols insane jack when he plays 150-160 games a year and gives great defense. But catchers just can't do that.
Why didn't they pay santana. 184 mil for a guy who has posted ops over 1.000 once in his career is risky even if he is a catcher.
I really don't think it is that bad of a contract with regards to annual salary but the length for a catcher is definitely a concern. I tend to agree with your games played point for a catcher but at the same time his offensive production over league average for his position is more than any other spot on the field. Doesn't hurt that he also plays defense at a gold glove level.
Using an OPS of over 1.000 as a benchmark is a little unfair considering that Mauer is the only catcher that has done it since at least 2000 (as far back as ESPN would go). He is the best hitting catcher since Piazza and actually fields the position well.
I think the Yankees and Red Sox would both be willing to shell out a contract like this. Even with the economy, MLB saw record revenues last year, I imagine the players association is going berzerk at the fact that players are getting paid less, despite the owners making more. The fact that Mauer's a catcher is why he's getting paid as much as he is. Plus, Mauer missed the first month of the season last year. He caught 139 games in 2008.
Oh, I definitely have no problem with Mauer as a player. I think he's awesome. Just surprised that the Twins, who have been both frugal and smart with front office decisions, would commit so much so quickly. But this is a contract extension, not a competitive bid. Extensions are suppose to be below market value, because the team shoulders the one-year risk of the player decline or injuries. I know incredibly well just how rare catchers who put up Mauer type offense are. But my point remains that Mauer, simply because he's a catcher, will always play less than full seasons. Think about Ausmus, who's basically as injury-free as you can expect a player to be, only average 130ish games per year. It's like expecting a player to be on the injured list for 20-30 games before the season even starts. BEFORE injuries.
Living here in Minnesota I can tell you the Twins really had no choice to but to sign Mauer. There would've been a riot among Twins fans and the local media if they let him go by free agency. In regard to the Twins' previous stingyness Carl Pohlad's son has taken over the team and he has shown more of a willingess to open his wallet than his dad. While they will never compete with the Yankees and the Red Sox they seem willing to go spend some cash to field a competitive team.
Santana isn't a Twin Cities product. Mauer grew up in St. Paul and played for St. Paul highschool powerhouse Cretin-Durham. He's been a local star for almost 20 years.
