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The Minnesota Twins didn't wait very long after being knocked out of the 2009 playoffs to begin working on their 2010 team. They made a trade that not only alleviated the surplus of outfielders on their roster but also may have filled the shortstop position for years to come when they sent Carlos Gomez to the Milwaukee Brewers for J.J. Hardy.While that trade could turn out to be a key move for the Twins and their future, it's not the only task the team has on its plate as they prepare for life in a new stadium next season. At the top of the list of things general manager Bill Smith should be working on right now is signing catcher Joe Mauer to a contract extension, and depending on who you ask, Smith may have already started doing just that.
According to a report in the St. Paul Pioneer-Press the Twins began talks with Mauer's agent Ron Shapiro on working out an extension for the possible MVP catcher whose contract is set to expire at the end of the 2010 season. In the article Mauer is quoted as saying that any negotiations that may be going on are "news to me."
Which is why it's not all that surprising that a separate report, this one in the Minneapolis Star Tribune, is saying that talks haven't begun between the Twins and Mauer.
So which is it?
In the Star Tribune report, neither Smith or Jerry Bell would confirm that negotiations had begun, but at the same time neither denied that they'd started either. So I think what may be going on here is that the Twins are still trying to figure out what they can offer Mauer that would be sufficient enough to keep him in Minnesota, but at the same time not hinder their ability to further build a team around him.
Which will not be an easy task for a team with a limited payroll like the Twins, though the team is no doubt hoping that the new Target Field will help increase revenue.
Whatever the case may be it seems pretty obvious that both sides would like to get a deal done, and preferably before next season starts so it doesn't become a distraction throughout the year. Plus, the Twins know that if they allow Mauer to hit the open market as a free agent it will be almost impossible to keep him around as he could easily command upwards of $25 million a year.So if the Twins haven't started trying to get something done with Mauer yet, they should probably get cracking.
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