A Twins fan’s best advocate: Joe Mauer
Posted on November 24th, 2009 – 7:35 AMBy Howard
Justin Morneau said this about Joe Mauer during Monday’s MVP excitement: “The biggest thing now isn’t the money. It’s going to be whether or not he feels we can win every day with the talent we have.”
Morneau was talking, of course, about whether Mauer will sign a new contract with the Twins or choose to make his fortune elsewhere.
Right now, everyone is saying the right thing.
Mauer, especially: “I think it will all work itself out I definitely enjoy playing in front of my family and friends here in Minnesota, and that’s all I know. So can we win here? Yes, definitely, I hope so. And that’s what I would like to do.”
Whether the Twins can afford Mauer was the hot topic of the national media Monday.
As Minnesotans, we have an obligation to remind the outside world of the absurdity of that notion.
The Pohlads can afford anything they want. It’s a question of what they choose to do.
I will not whip the Santana horse (too much), in part because he may be a healthy arm and a leg less than he was with the Twins for the rest of his career. But, in (unfair) hindsight, the best course of action would have been to keep him through 2008, let him walk and take the free-agent compensation that would have come from losing him. It’s a pretty good bet that a surly Santana, pitching a showcase season, would have made the Twins at least one game better than they were that season — which would have meant a division title.
The best course of action with Mauer, obviously, is to get this deal done well before anyone even pretends to play contract chicken. With a new ballpark and a superstar behind the plate, the Twins could actually become a destination team for players who wouldn’t give Minnesota a second thought under the conditions that have existed. Target Field looks to be a player-friendly place, complete with a double-wide corner clubhouse locker for a certain No. 7 and the extra things he carries as a catcher.
If Mauer is happy, he will stay.
If Mauer stays, it will send the right message to teammates and others.
You can fool a guy paying $36 for a ticket. You can’t fool a .365 hitting catcher.
So Joe Mauer is the best advocate that a Twins fan has right now.
85 Responses to "A Twins fan’s best advocate: Joe Mauer"
If they don’t sign him, what was the point of raising my taxes? Seriously.
Our family has 4 generations of Twin fans rooting for Joe to stay.
He’s a Minnesota kind of guy.
HAVE FUN !!! GO TWINS !!!
Building the new stadium and paying Joe Mauer are two totally separate issues. That being said I think the Twins will sign Mauer this off season. If he is allowed to play next season and become a free agent the issue will not be with Mauer wanting to stay here the problem becomes the players union forcing him to set a standard for other players. I will never forget Jim Thome sitting at his press conference in Philly years ago appologizing to the fans in Cleveland and explaining that he wanted to stay there but the union forced him to take the bigger contract.
I recall a photo of Eddie Guardado on this website, a short while after he had moved on to Seattle. Eddie is staring forward, a forlorn look on his face. The grass is not always greener.
Joe Mauer is the king of Minnesota, or might as well be. And he’s a smart kid. He’s not going to throw that away. The Twins are smart, too. Much smarter than some fans give them credit for.
This is going to happen. But there will be some beating around the bush first. Nothing, even the inevitable, is easy. It’s the way of MLB. It’s the way of the world.
Howard,
A well written and accurate article.
In July, the Star Trib baseball writers really turned up the heat on Bill Smith to make a move. It was the first year I remember reading such definitive and aggressive statements from these writers around the trade deadline. And it worked. The front office made a few great moves to get us the division title. Our best mid-season set of moves since Shannon Stewart probably.
I want to see the same thing with respect to the Mauer deal. Keep the pressure on this organization to do the right thing, and to do it soon. We fans can write responses to these articles, and can submit our own editorials I guess, but it is the voices of the Twins beat writers that will keep the heat on the front office to take care of business.
If the Twins want to keep Target field full after next season they better have Joe Mauer signed.
Morneau is 100% correct and Mauer should say that we need to add more pieces to force Smiths hand. We need to get an ace pitcher or we will not win in the playoffs and that is a fact. Go out and get Josh Johnson for some prospects, pay him 4yrs, $40 million. Show Mauer you adding the pieces to win, something Hunter and Santana were never able to do to get the Twins to do.
I respectfully disagree with CharlieMurphy. Building the stadium and paying Mauer are not “totally separate issues.”
The Twins did not promise to become the Yankees and throw gobs of money at free agents if they got public assistance to build their new stadium. They did, however, indicate that the new stadium was necessary in order to break the cycle of seeing almost every star player leave Minnesota via trade or free agency once they became expensive.
The Twins are damn fortunate that the first test of that change in philosophy is a hometown guy, not represented by Scott Boras, who isn’t going to be out to use every bit of leverage he has to bleed every nickel he can get from the organization.
If I’m Bill Smith, I start by offering $20 million a year and tell Mauer to name the number of years he wants the contract to run.
It is not unfair to criticize the Santana trade. When coincidentally, the Evil Empire chose the off-season the Twins had a blue-chip player on the shopping block to be the year they would show budget austerity, the Twins should have pulled back. When the market fell out, the Twins would have been better off walking away from the table.
And back to Howard’s original point… if I’m Joe Mauer, I don’t care what Bill Smith offers me, I tell him I’m not interested in talking until I see how he fills the 2B, 3B and SP holes he’s got.
You’re absolutely right, Howard. We can bitch and moan about a lack of effort on the part of the Twins to make sure they get more than just serviceable spare parts to fill those holes. The Twins know 3 million of us will walk through the turnstiles this season even if they sign Howard, Joe and LaVelle to fill those roster spots.
But when Joe and his agent say they aren’t talking until the Twins demonstrate they’re committed to winning, the Twins have to listen.
They can’t afford not to because they honestly can not afford to see Mauer walk away. He WANTS to stay. They NEED him to stay. Big difference in negotiating leverage.
$20 million a year is not going to cut it for the best player in baseball. If Mauer stays, it will be because the Twins opened their wallets–likely to the tune of $23 mil over 10 years or $25 mil over 8 years…
Don’t fool yourselves into thinking this is about “staying at home” or “loyalty” or “being comfortable with your surroundings” or even “being on a contending team.”
First off, by being in the AL Central, the Twins will virtually always be contenders. If by “contending,” you mean contend for a World Championship, then you best pack your bags for Philly, New York, Anaheim, or Boston.
Look, Joe Mauer will hit .330 (or .340 or .365) in any city in America. There are plenty of headaches, I’m sure, that come with being the “hometown boy.” There are also a few bennies as well, I imagine. But bottom line is the money will do the talking here. Either the Twins pay up, or Joe changes teams. It was that simple with Torii Hunter and it’s that simple with Joe Mauer.
Easy for me to say I know, but I say “F” the union.
I am picturing the scene from the movie “Coming to America”, where one of the multiple Eddie Murphy / A. Hall characters in the Queen’s NY barbershop, being of a particular religious faith proclaiming, “A man should be able to do, what a man wants to do!”
If a players wants to play for a certain team for an acceptable price to that player, then “F” the union!
You and I are normally completely in line in our thinking so I am ok with you disagreeing with me on this one! LOL
The Twins never came out and said “If we get a new stadium we will sign Joe Mauer to a long term contract” Without the new stadium they would not be able to sign much of anyone. With the new stadium they have the ability to sign players but they did not specifically mention Mauer.
Mauer will be a Twin for a long time. He will not leave to go East.
8 years, 150 million.
I would like to now see a commercial during games next season, whereby D. Jeter is walking into the Twins clubhouse carrying a jockstrap. On it is written #7 - Joe Mauer. lol.
No they didn’t specifically mention Mauer… honestly, at the time they were pushing the stadium thing through, there was no assurance Mauer would become what he has become. But letting him walk sends the signal that it’s ‘business as usual’ for the Twins. They can’t afford that kind of PR.
And, heetcpa, you’re right, it’s easy for you (and me, since I’ve been “management” since I was about 19 years old) to say F the union. But other players, including his team mates and especially his buddy Morneau, will have their compensation levels affected by what Mauer eventually signs for. So he does have SOME obligation not discount himself too much. And why should he, really? He’s not playing for a team drawing 800,000 a year in an economically depressed small city.
To be honest, what we as fans should really hope he forces the Twins to do is include an annual buy out option in his contract. Having the ability in any year to tell them “you aren’t building a winner here” and exercising an option to buy out his contract and hit the open market is the only way to hold the team’s feet to the fire EVERY year and prevent them from just doing what they need to do this year because it’s his contract year… then surround him with sludge for the rest of his contract.
I really don’t see the Twins allowing Mauer to walk at all. I like the idea of adding into the contract that he can opt out if the team is not competitive. Having a new stadium does not mean filling the seats just ask Pittsburgh and Cincinnati. They have stadiums that are new but no fans.
I think Mauer will sign before the season so he does not the distraction of all the questions. He does not like dealing with the media that much.
Listen, I’m a division rival Tiger’s fan, but there’s nothing more I want than for the Twins to sign Big Joe to a long-term deal. There are too few of these Hometown Boy Makes Good stories left in sports. Joe leaving the Twins would be like Cal Ripken Jr. leaving the Orioles. It’s just not right! Sign the big man! And hurry up about it! Much respect to Twins’fans and your MVP!
Monster,
I agree with you that it’s totally fair to criticize the Santana deal. As someone who wrote strongly in favor or re-signing him, however, it would be unfair of me to say now, “Of course the Twins should have let him walk and taken the compensation!”
World’s dumbest column? The Shooter over the weekend, claiming that it might be hard for the Twins to sign Mauer without East Coast endorsement dollars. Puh-lease.
This kid is going to make over $200 million in his career. He’s quiet, unassuming and humble. Do we really think he wants a brighter spotlight and more money than he can possibly spend in 20 lifetimes? Morneau said it best: He wants to to be with his family and he wants to win. The Twins have the first of those advantages. If they can manage to convince him that they have the second, he will stay with a reasonable offer.
The only reason Mauer would go to the East Coast is if he thinks he can’t win here.
Cmathewson,
You are totally right. That was a horrible piece.
Also, last time I checked, advertisements for Rolex, razor blades and Gatorade appear all over the country (people shave, even in Wyoming), in such places as the internet, print media and on tv. So I’m pretty sure if companies want to sign Mauer for endorsements they can: A) fly him to wherever he needs to be; or B) shoot them in MN.
The Santana “what ifs” are too many at this point for anyone to say things would have been better if he had been kept and allowed to walk.
Sure, as Howard said, it’s reasonable to assume he would have made 1 game’s difference. But keep in mind that entire season would have become all about Johan and his contract. Who knows what kind of effect that would have had in the clubhouse and, by extension, on the field?
And if JJ Hardy becomes the missing AllStar piece that sends the Twins to the 2010 WS, does that mean the trade was suddenly a great success, since Gomez is what got him here? Again… no. The point is, that you just never know. If the Yankees had not shown such restraint, the Twins would have Ian Kennedy and Phil Hughes right now… do we have any reason to believe those two would have been difference makers here, based on what we’ve seen of them in NY so far?
Time to move on and put Johan in the past.
“The Pohlads can afford anything they want. It’s a question of what they choose to do.”
the best line you’ve written howard. this is not a small market team and an owner with limited capital. new stadium, richest owners in pro sports in a mid sized market with great fans.
this entire deal is on the pohlads, either they care about baseball or they care about the money. in this case imo they go hand in hand, if they don’t sign joe the good will they lose will eat up the money they save by not signing him, a good old catch 22.
CharlieMurphy,
“just ask Pittsburgh and Cincinnati. They have stadiums that are new but no fans.”
The Pirates haven’t had a winning season since 1992. The Reds haven’t been above .500 since 2000. They couldn’t fill their stadiums if every seat was a Lay-z-boy and Hooters girls were giving free massages during their games.
I think the Twins would be smart to wait and see what some of the top free agents sign for this off season before they make Joe an offer. Due to the economy, I’ve got a feeling we wont be seeing the eye popping contracts we’ve seen in the past.
I honestly have no idea what column you’re referring to… which should tell you something about how I feel about the credibility of anything that particular writer throws out there.
And to be fair, the Strib also has a writer (or two) that I simply don’t bother reading for the same reason and as I mentioned in a thread yesterday, I was also very disappointed in Buster Olney’s column regarding Mauer.
What’s great is that there are so many worthwile writers (and bloggers) putting stuff out there about the Twins that we can afford to decide for ourselves which ones aren’t worth the time to read.
“Time to move on and put Johan in the past.”
~I second that notion JimC.
ggg: I agree. Business people are big on business model projection. I can see the Pohlads asking their people the question, “what’s effect would letting Mauer go have on our business model?” I can’t imagine a response to that question that wouldn’t include the term “negative”… and most would probably use the term “disaster”.
ES16: might be worth a try though. I’d go!
BC: I think last year demonstrated, though, that the superstars are always going to get theirs… it’s the middle of the pack (and lower) FAs who struggled to get what had been market value contracts. I think the longer the Twins wait, the more likely Mauer and his agent would be inclined to just play out the final year.
Howard, you’re exactly right and it’s what I’ve been preaching from the wilderness for a year now. The Pohlad’s don’t need a salary cap in MLB, they need a commitment to winning. This is the best chance in Twins history to put a championship team on the field. No past Twins player has ever had as much leverage with the FO as Mauer does right now. Here’s hoping that he settles for nothing less than a 8 year commitment to winning in Mpls. $23-25m per for him and a lot more significant improvements around him. Joe this is your team now. Don’t let them get away with anything other than a full on effort to win.
I don’t agree they would have been better off by just taking the draft picks for letting Santana walk. The prospects they got from that deal may not have worked out, but they also netted Rauch and Hardy from that deal and still have 20-year-old Guerra who’s already pitching at AA. I would take that any day over two draft picks.
JC: I agree that they will get paid but i doubt we will see anyone close to 25 million per year for awhile. Matt Holliday has to be the top free agent out there and I’m betting what he gets will be close to what Joe gets around 18-20 per year.
If they sign Santana, there is no way in H-E-double hockey sticks they can afford both Morneau and Mauer. That’s why they traded him. Get over it.
A great post Howard. I have the feeling that Mauer is, in addition to being an employee of the team, a fan of the Twins. I think that makes it easy to say the right things and, in the end, hopefully it’ll make it easy for the contract to get signed too.
I just hope it’s a long enough term that we don’t have to go through this all again before too long. A “perpetual option” clause would sure be nice.
If there is one player that IS really worth the money that would be Joe Mauer. I think some of the contracts that have been given out in the last few years are ridiculous. Like in Detroit who may be looking to trade Miguel Cabrera but the money owed to him may prevent that. I do hope that someday there will be some sort of salary cap in baseball and the union doesn’t cry foul if the free agents have to take less this time around. And speaking of Cabrera, he isn’t half the ballplayer that Mauer is and Joe has the 10 times the character that Cabrera has, something more players need to have. In that regard Mauer reminds me of Harmon Killebrew who didn’t get to finish his career in Minnesota, so Twins get Joe Mauer signed!
The Twins could have offered Santana $30 million a year and I still don’t think he would have stayed, he wanted to move to a bigger market team.
I think the intangible here is that Joe wants to stay in MN and play in front of his family and friends and that is the reason that the Twins will sign him long term. I agree that a buyout might be put in place to keep the Twins honest in their quest to field a team that could win the division and get to the WS almost every year. It will be intereting to see who else the Twins acquire in the next few months to show Joe that they are committed to fielding a winning team. Joe Mauer is a Twin and should remain a Twin for the rest of his career. Go Twins.
Steve, why do the Twins need a salary cap? You believe that nonsense about them being poor? They have so much money that a 8 year run with their baseball team wouldn’t put a dent into their empire. In fact it would:
1) Make them legendary in Mn sports
2) Make them even richer
It’s not hard to imagine a payroll of $125 during Joe’s next contract and a WS appearance /title or 2-3..this would cement the Pohlad’s legendary status in Mn forever and make them more money than even they can dream of. Why don’t more business people think in these terms?
We need to get an ace pitcher or we will not win in the playoffs and that is a fact.
No, that is an opinion. It wasn’t the lack of an ace that kept us from beating the Yanks in 2 of the first 3 games. An ace won’t keep Nathan from blowing a 2 run lead in the 9th and it won’t keep our runners from doing dumb stuff. It would be nice to have an “ace”, but 2, 3, and 4 pitchers are all capable of throwing great games. Every one of our guys has beaten “aces” before. The most recent I can think of were the crucial games against Greinke and Buehrle. Santana didn’t win many playoff games for us.
I would like to see the Twins resign Mauer but there is such widespread, unanimous support to resign him that I can’t help but think it is the wrong move. What is lost in the Santana, Hunter deals is that we were a better team after we lost them. Improving several positions makes up for losing stars at a couple positions. Yes, the Twins would have been better still if we had signed both of them AND improved the other spots but for sake of this discussion you get my point.
If we could get Zach Johnson or Hanley Ramirez and Uggla type players for Mauer and sign a good player or 2 with money saved by not committing 25 mil/season long term for a guy that might break a leg tomorrow the team may be way better off. Yes, he is only 26 but who is to say he will continue to have MVP type years every year. He may be a legit power hitter now but many of his homers went over by a couple feet. There is no guarantee he will hit 30 a year. Santana has not won a Cy Young or made the playoffs since moving to a “legitimate contender” in an inferior league.
I am just saying it usually makes me a little more confident going against the consensus and this is way beyond consensus. It is nearly unanimous.
Bob Loblaw (great name by the way)-
“I just hope it’s a long enough term that we don’t have to go through this all again before too long. A “perpetual option” clause would sure be nice.”
These seem like contradicting statements. A perpetual option would be a terrible addition to the contract. If the Twins give him a 7-8 year deal, it would be fair to have an opt-out clause after, say, 4 years. Otherwise you would have this contract circus every year. Just look how much attention was paid to A-Rod a couple years ago, not to mention the media was already asking two years ago whether or not Lebron would opt out in 2010.
Preim, the way we’ll find out if Mauer really is serious about it being more important to field a winning team is by looking at the length of contract and option terms.
If he agrees to a 6+ year deal without options kicking in well before that, then he’s not really concerned about making sure the team fields a competitive team around him.
It may not be fun to have an annual discussion about whether he’ll opt out of his contract, but it’s the only way he can use the leverage he has right now to assure that the Twins don’t sign him, use him to keep drawing fans, but surround him with mediocrity.
Yes, for God’s sake, let’s put Santana behind us. {On the other hand, we could talk about Bartlett and Garza, but I digress.) The most important single statement made thus far in response was that it was not until the local beat writers and a few other scribes got off their duffs and put some real heat on Bill Smith that important, and very good changes, were made. If they decide to dial it down, at best we may get is Mauer resigned, although I seriously doubt it. There are holes all over this roster–holes, that is, if you’re comparing the Twins to the big bosy–which need to be filled.
Right on Jim..Mauer has all the leverage (like no other Twins player ever has before)and he bloody well better continue to turn up the heat with the FO year after year. But I believe you’re wrong in the sense that it WILL be fun watching it play out for 6-8 yrs..I just wish I had the video of BS and the Pohlad’s sweating bullets every time Joe comes into their offices with his latest demands. “Priceless”
Dave, I don’t disagree with you about the local writers staying involved but I really believe it’s really up to Joe Mauer to put the hammer down with management in order to fill all the holes that the team has.
If i was Joe I would demand that they put 100 yellow M&M’s by my locker every day.
I also believe that the Twins need an Ace to really compete — their pitching is still quite young. But I’d reallly like to know whether Mauer thinks they need an ace to compete — he is probably in the best position of anyone to know the quality of the Twins’ pitching.
As for endorsements, I can think of no better endorsement angle than the “hometown boy makes good and stays there” story — loyalty plays well everywhere — even on the east coast. With the 3 batting titles and the MVP award, Mauer should have as many endorsement opportunities as he would want — regardless of where he plays.
I have always thought that the money would be there. It’ll be really interesting to see what player-pieces need to fall into place for Mauer to sign.
It will be interesting for sure. I’d love to know what’s on Joe’s list of demands. Just hope he doesn’t settle! Put the hammer down!
is there any chance joe mauer decides he’d rather have a two or three year contract so that he can test the waters again in a few years when the going rate is $30 million per?
Mickey, I think there is a good chance of what you suggest..but not only for the money reason. He also will be able to see if the FO has kept their promise of fielding a championship caliber team..and after 3 yrs, if Joe see’s that the FO has tried to fool everyone again, he can get out before he is 30 and still have time to win his WS’s elsewhere on his way to becoming the best Catcher in history.
Howard - what are the chances that a long-term deal would include a clause that depends upon Joe still being behind the plate at the end of the contract to get his full salary?
Endorsements! What dont they sell shoes or gatoraid in Minnesota? Why must you live in New York or Boston to get endoresments?
Cricket, I believe you are from Iowa, not a taxpaying citizen of Hennepin County. When we were bamboozled for that, the message was clear. We need this to keep our top players. No, Mauer was not intentionally mentioned, but if this is not why we ponied up, then nothing is.
It’s a pretty good bet that a surly Santana, pitching a showcase season, would have made the Twins at least one game better than they were that season — which would have meant a division title.
Which, as we know, isn’t enough around here. The Twins would’ve won their Division title, and then the fans would’ve been just as pissed when Santana left after the ‘08 Twins fell two rounds short of the Series.
Cricket, I believe you are from Iowa, not a taxpaying citizen of Hennepin County.
There goes Kevin again, reminding anybody who doesn’t live in Hennepin County that they don’t count.
Also, the continued Pohlad crap is almost hilarious. Yep, they have a lot of money. But they also run a lot of businesses aside from the Twins.
But no, some of you have a good point. The Pohlad’s should focus on what’s important (the salaries of millionaries), instead of making sure the businesses they that have regular people working for them can continue operating.
T your right on with that and I wonder what a lot of the people they do employ would have to say if they lost their jobs because the Pohlads poored all their money into the Twins.
sorry that should be poured not poored.
NsO Kevin, you’re correct that I’m an Iowan.
That said, I believe if you read my comments, that’s pretty much exactly what I said. The deal was “build a stadium so we can keep our stars”… what I’ve also said is that there was never a committment to become free spending buyers of outside FAs.
T, youre right on the money… literally.
I’ve also always found it amusing that people seem to just assume that because the family has a net worth of a couple billion dollars and the Twins organization “only” accounts for a few hundred million of that, they have the extra couple of billion in cash laying around the house and should find a few hundred million to throw at every FA that hits the market.
The theory is comical, but it has become so frequently thrown out there that I generally just ignore any comment that starts out railing on the topic again.
actually the pohlads don’t pour any money into the twins. i think they have made money every year (with a few possible exceptions) the money they spend is the money they get from us as ticket buyers, radio and tv income which comes from us buying stuff adver there and from mlb.
however, if indeed they are pouring money into this team i stand corrected and will retract my comment! i’m not talking about the stadium either, leasehold improvements are a part of doing business.
You can fool a guy paying $36 for a ticket. You can’t fool a .365 hitting catcher.
So, Joe Mauer is part of the same Super Race that encompasses people like Brittany Spears, Barack Obama, and Tiger Woods? And the guy paying for the $36 ticket is just a mortal fool? Is that the notion here, Howard???
My friend, I love 80% of what you write, but that line has me perplexed. It really sounds like you advocate idolatry or something. Do you really believe that most of us don’t know what it takes to win here? Or to sign a guy like Joe Mauer?
Joe’s a great baseball player, but he doesn’t even hold a college degree, he still pays taxes, and he craps sitting down just like the rest of us.
Those same people who constantly rail about how cheap the Pohlad family is have probably never volunteered an hour of their time and plug their ears and stare at the ground at the mention of the words “Salvation Army”.
Look, the Twins are a family owned business. When things are good, they make money and the value of the business goes up. When things aren’t so good, you lose money. They’ve made money recently. A few years ago, there were some years when expenses exceeded revenues.
Committing the serious long term money that it’s going to take to sign Mauer is a pretty big decision and it will be a BUSINESS decision.
What it really comes down to is this… Throwing $120 million at Mauer only makes sense if the bean counters determine doing so will mean at least $120 million worth of revenue… which means it only makes sense if they are convinced the Twins will also remain competitive for the length of that contract. Because if they aren’t, attendance will drop and they’ll end up with one pissed off superstar and no support around him.
By the way, everyone keeps talking about how this should be a 6+ year contract. I don’t see that happening. I’m expecting something like 4 years for something approaching $100 million. The Twins can’t afford to risk having to lock up that kind of money on a guy who could get hurt (a few years ago insurance carriers stopped insuring these deals for more than 3 years, I believe) and Mauer should want the contract to end early enough that he stands to cash in on one more huge contract in his prime if he stays healthy.
Here’s a different thought -
If Joe really wants the Twins to be competitive while he is here, he should sign a below-market deal, freeing up more money for the front office to spend on other players.
Mauer is going to get a HUGE deal - that much is certain. But how can he expect the Twins to show they are committed to winning if they don’t have any real idea what kind of money they have to spend?
The best way the Twins can show they are committed to winning is by signing Joe Mauer. Joe Mauer won’t sign until he is sure the Twins are committed to winning. Doesn’t anyone else see the issue here? The Twins can’t go about the rest of their business if they don’t know what the future of their most important piece is. So, Mauer waiting for them to ‘prove’ to him that they are committed to winning is just hurting the team. Sign a deal with an opt out clause - or a point where it can be either a player chosen, mutual, or team chosen option - and see what management does. Don’t handcuff them by the ‘wait and see’ approach.
Lala,
I think we agree more than we disagree. My point is that we don’t have much leverage as fans. We are likely to continue going to games. Mauer, on the other hand, can decide to pack his gear and go if he doesn’t like what he’s seeing and hearing.
And while I agree that we share some of the traits with Mauer as you describe, I believe he has the ability to put his pants on both legs at a time.
Hey yankee fan here. Excellent commentary going on.
Here’s how it looks from the evil empire side. George Steinbrenner bought a failing team that was barely breaking even after CBS destroyed it. He immediately invested ALL of the money back into the product and built a crazy empire. Minneapolis is not Dubuque. Thats a pretty good sized American city with a devoted fan base and an EXCELLENT baseball history. Not to mention an owner with more money that God. Now how do the titansthe corporate world make their money? By investment in infrastructure and ideas. The stadium is an infrastructure investment. The MM tandem is an investment in a devoted fan base. The Twins can go the way of the ROyals or they can be lead like the Royals were lead when Mr. Kauffman handled them like a public trust rahter than a cash register feeding into an already bloated pocket.
Make the investment. Imagine if the Twins had kept Santana and he had remained healthy (there was no real fear of him breaking down at the time) they would have been a legit WS contender this year. IF they hadn’t traded Garza and Liriano doesn’t explode they are favorites. A Twins team with Hunter, Mauer, Morneau, Kubel, Santana etc would have beeen a world beater, the stadium and lux boxes at Target would have been sold out until 2050 and everyone would be happy
There is much at stake for both the Mauer family and the Pohald family in these negotiations. I believe they will discuss, at great length, what their mutual aspirations are. I take Mauer at his word. He wants to be around his family and friends, right here. He loves to be regarded as the team player he is, and he values loyalty. His brother is on the rise as a field manager in the organization. He will have a full grasp of the Twin’s strategic plan for remaining consistently competitive and have a chance to provide input. His best input will be to accept a very rich contract, but one that allows the Twins enough financial rope to put the other pieces in place on a sustainable basis. Joe Mauer doesn’t strike me as a guy who is going to fret about whether his take-home pay is $19M or $23M if he feels really good about all the rest of it. These two families are hugely motivated to find common ground.
If I’m Mauer I sit back and see what Mr. Smith does this off season.If Smith (and the Pohlads) shows a committment to building a better team by getting a a #1 or 1A starter and fills at least one of the remaining infield holes with a quaity replacement,I’d be willing to bet Joe gives the GM a t bit of a discount (just a bit!).
But if it’s business as usual,with bargain basement signings or a meaningless trade,Joe will and should jack up the price to a level only a couple of teams will be able to pay.
The Pohlads DID say,as others have eluded to,that the new stadium would allow them to keep their own star players.What they might not have realized is that to do so,they are still going to have to spend money to acquire the kind of talent that will be needed to re-sign those stars.It’s their choice and the results will be interesting.
Pro from Dover hits the nail on the head
Bird of Prey, I agree with you, he wont demand top dollar, but as others have said, and Pro from Dover states, he will want proof of a WS capable team, not the status quo.
Cricket, therein lies Pohlads conundrum. They said they will keep their top players, they did not say they woudl be aggressive on the FA market. BUT, in order to keep their top player, they need to be somewhate agressive in building a winning team. so one begets the other. And you know, if they failed to sign Mauer, their name would be MUDD for generations.
Think of this for a starting 2010 team:
Mauer, Catcher; Morneau, 1B; Kevin K.(Pads) 2B, JJ Hardy, SS; Felix Lopez, 3B; Delmon Young, LF; Denard Span, CF; M. Cuddyer, RF;
Baker, Slowey, Duensing, Blackburn, Pavano, SP;
heetcpa,
And what exactly makes you think that Jeter is “good enough” to carry Joe’s jock?
The Twins have actually built a pretty nice offensive team although we still have a few issues. However, as far as pitching is concerned, we just suffered through a really tough year. I am one who thinks we shouldn’t expect the staff to be as bad next year and here are pitchers I’d keep, the ones I’d let go, and the ones who I would keep at AAA to be ready in case…..
Baker……….SP
Blackburn……SP
Slowey………SP
Pavano………SP
Duensing…….SP
Nathan………RP
Bonser………RP
Liriano……..RP
Neshek………RP
Rauch……….RP
Mijares……..RP
Guerrier…….RP
Perkins……..RP
Manship and Swarzak back to AAA.
Crain is the odd man out. Trade if possible along with any of these position players: Buscher, Tolbert, Casilla, Young if there is any interest. I think keeping Young is just to save face from a bad trade. Let him develop in Pittsburgh or Miami. It’s time to get serious.
Perkins is the man on the bubble if they can find a good FA pitcher.
I’m not convinced that this pitching staff is too young - there are plenty of guys out there of the same or younger age who are producing better results for their teams.
It will happen and my prediction is that it will be announced just before Christmas Day.
Remember how the news of Hunter going to the Angels ruined a nice Thanksgiving a few years back? This will be the PR make-up for that. The Twins know the headlines and good PR they’d get from that sort of timing. So does Mauer.
“Twins give Mauer & fans the perfect holiday gift” “Happy Mauer-days Twins fans”. The headline possibilities are endless (I won’t touch the religious tone that could be taken with baby Jesus).
Mauer may have a desire to test the market or live elsewhere but I also don’t think he’s interested in having to face an entire seasons worth of questions about his contract and future like Torii did or even like he did on a smaller scale this season. Especially in a year that ALL the focus should be on the new stadium and hopefully another pennant race.
I was once worried. I’m now more convinced than ever that these two sides want to & will get it done sooner rather than later.
Happy Turkey day to all & Go Twins!
Join my Facebook group “If Joe Mauer Signs With the Yankees I’m Done with MLB Baseball” at http://www.facebook.com/home.php?filter=lf#/group.php?gid=185420333999&ref=nf
Mauer should want the contract to end early enough that he stands to cash in on one more huge contract in his prime if he stays healthy.
I could see Mauer asking for 6 years, plus an opt-out at year 3 or 4. That would give him a few years to establish if the Twins are serious about building a contender and if he doesn’t feel they are head into the market.
Look it’s pretty simple, because there’s no salary cap in baseball, either the Twins pony up money like a big market and have a team that is competitve no matter who they are playing or they continue down the cheap road of mediocrity without Mr. Mauer.
I believe the Pohlads will sign Mauer because it’s the right thing to do, just like they did with Kirby. It’s the right thing for the team, the fans, and the organization. Mauer’s jersey is, and will continue to be, the best-selling product for the Twins. Mauer will keep fans in the seats and the Twins in the playoffs (especially in an already weak and getting weaker division). Conversely, there will likely be a huge protest against attending games if he isn’t signed. Maure brings in money to the organization so that we can be a winning team in the future. Moreover, the best player in baseball is not just a Twin, but a Minnesotan. How cool is that?
This is a key moment for the Twins.
To keep fan loyalty, they need to field a World Series caliber team every once in a while. 1991 is fading into distant memory. The Twins need to leverage the homegrown future HOF’er and the extra revenue generated by the new stadium to make a serious pennant run. If they don’t it will be a PR and financial disaster that will take 20 years to wear off.
See this story and try to tell me they are not going to resign Mauer. The contract may already be done.
http://www.startribune.com/local/72072672.html?elr=KArksi8cyaiUqCP:iUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUU
either the Twins pony up money like a big market and have a team that is competitve no matter who they are playing or they continue down the cheap road of mediocrity without Mr. Mauer
So either they spend absurd amounts of money on payroll, or they spend nothing on payroll.
You just love living on the extremes don’t you?
Just a quick ‘Happy Turkey Day’ to all!
Howard and all… Hope you are all able to spend this holiday with your family and friends. Have a terrific Thanksgiving and as you do, please remember those who are unable to be with their loved ones because they’re serving our country in the Armed Forces. JC
I hope PPP’s story means a contract is in the works, but I think “fan loyalty” has been established. The two World Championships made this a “Storied Franchise” so that’s not going to change. I just can’t see why the Poorlads want to keep getting showed up by Zygi Wilf !
Whilst Mr. Sinker is in hibernation, let me sincerely wish him a happy and fulfilling holiday season!
And in these trying economic times, I am grateful for the free opportunity to think and participate on the Strib blogs.
