big kumara
02-17-2010, 08:54 PM
http://www.startribune.com/sports/twins/84420522.html?elr=KArksi8cyaiUqCP:iUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aU U
Is Mauer worth the long-term risk?
Joe Mauer is the hometown hero and three-time AL batting champ. But contracts for eight years and longer are rare and risky, especially for catchers.
By JOE CHRISTENSEN, Star Tribune
Last update: February 16, 2010 - 11:35 PM
If you want to become the most unpopular sportswriter in Minnesota, try listing the potential drawbacks of signing Joe Mauer to a big, long contract extension.
He's the St. Paul kid, the reigning American League MVP, a three-time batting champ, a two-time Gold Glove-winning catcher and recently graced the cover of a national magazine that dubbed him "America's Fan-Friendliest Athlete."
By November, Mauer could become a free agent at age 27, just when the Red Sox and Yankees are looking for new catchers. If Mauer continues to produce like he did last year, it's not hard to imagine him fetching a 10-year, $280 million deal on the open market.
Re-signing Mauer now would be the perfect way for the Twins to salute their fans on the way into Target Field, especially folks helping foot the bill through the 0.15 percent Hennepin County sales tax.
The alternative -- leaving Mauer dangling, and the rest of baseball drooling -- could become one of the biggest public relations disasters in Minnesota sports history.
My view is simple: Get it done. Give him a blank check. If he wants eight to 10 years guaranteed? Fine, whatever it takes.
It's the feel-good story everyone wants to write. In fact, few thought the negotiations would take this long. With Twins pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training Sunday, it's getting uncomfortable.
Very little information is trickling out, other than firm denials of last month's report by WCCO-TV that the sides had reached preliminary agreement on a 10-year extension. But what if it were true? Is such a move really a no-brainer for the Twins?
Not if you consider:
• The length of other catchers' contracts. Atlanta's Brian McCann has the current longest -- a six-year, $26.8 million deal that he signed in 2006.
In 2002, the Pirates signed Jason Kendall to a six-year, $60 million deal. It didn't take long for Pittsburgh to regret it. In 1997, when Ivan Rodriguez was a perennial All-Star and Gold Glove winner at age 25, the Rangers kept him from free agency by giving him a five-year, $42 million deal.
Many catchers fizzle once they reach their 30s, as the position's grind is so intense. Carlton Fisk was one exception. So was Johnny Bench. Then again, Bench's career was never quite the same after a home-plate collision with Gary Matthews in 1975.
• How much other catchers have been compensated. The Yankees' Jorge Posada has the highest salary of any major league catcher, at $13.1 million per year. Granted, he signed his four-year deal when he was 36, or a decade older than Mauer is now. But unlike in the NFL, baseball contracts are guaranteed, regardless of injury, so the Twins would be taking a significant risk.
Teams can insure multiyear deals, covering themselves in case of injury, but the premiums aren't cheap, especially for pitchers and catchers.
By the end of a 10-year extension, Mauer almost certainly would be playing another position. He's athletic enough to make a switch to a corner infield or outfield position, and there's always DH. But even with the same offensive production, he wouldn't be as valuable as he is at catcher.
• Mauer's injury history. He had a knee injury as a rookie, a quadriceps injury in 2007 and a puzzling lower-back injury that kept him out last April. He also had surgery to remove a kidney obstruction last offseason.
When Mauer returned from the disabled list last May, he played like an ironman, and it's scary to think of what he might accomplish now, after a healthy winter. But there have been red flags in his career that are hard to dismiss when you're trying to forecast his long-term future.
• This deal is being negotiated at the peak of Mauer's value. If Mauer bats .330 with 20 home runs this year, it'll be a great season but won't match last year, when he became the first player to lead his league in batting average (.365), on-base percentage (.444) and slugging percentage (.587) since George Brett in 1980.
Do the Twins want to establish Mauer's salary for the next decade based on one of the best seasons in baseball history? With the Twins dead-set against deferring salary, they'll be committing a big chunk of future payrolls to one player.
Mauer is a special case, no doubt, and Twins can't afford to lose him. It's easy for me to say: Make him a Twin for life.
Then again, the next decade of the franchise's future isn't hinging on my decision.
Joe Christensen • jchristensen@startribune.com
Is Mauer worth the long-term risk?
Joe Mauer is the hometown hero and three-time AL batting champ. But contracts for eight years and longer are rare and risky, especially for catchers.
By JOE CHRISTENSEN, Star Tribune
Last update: February 16, 2010 - 11:35 PM
If you want to become the most unpopular sportswriter in Minnesota, try listing the potential drawbacks of signing Joe Mauer to a big, long contract extension.
He's the St. Paul kid, the reigning American League MVP, a three-time batting champ, a two-time Gold Glove-winning catcher and recently graced the cover of a national magazine that dubbed him "America's Fan-Friendliest Athlete."
By November, Mauer could become a free agent at age 27, just when the Red Sox and Yankees are looking for new catchers. If Mauer continues to produce like he did last year, it's not hard to imagine him fetching a 10-year, $280 million deal on the open market.
Re-signing Mauer now would be the perfect way for the Twins to salute their fans on the way into Target Field, especially folks helping foot the bill through the 0.15 percent Hennepin County sales tax.
The alternative -- leaving Mauer dangling, and the rest of baseball drooling -- could become one of the biggest public relations disasters in Minnesota sports history.
My view is simple: Get it done. Give him a blank check. If he wants eight to 10 years guaranteed? Fine, whatever it takes.
It's the feel-good story everyone wants to write. In fact, few thought the negotiations would take this long. With Twins pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training Sunday, it's getting uncomfortable.
Very little information is trickling out, other than firm denials of last month's report by WCCO-TV that the sides had reached preliminary agreement on a 10-year extension. But what if it were true? Is such a move really a no-brainer for the Twins?
Not if you consider:
• The length of other catchers' contracts. Atlanta's Brian McCann has the current longest -- a six-year, $26.8 million deal that he signed in 2006.
In 2002, the Pirates signed Jason Kendall to a six-year, $60 million deal. It didn't take long for Pittsburgh to regret it. In 1997, when Ivan Rodriguez was a perennial All-Star and Gold Glove winner at age 25, the Rangers kept him from free agency by giving him a five-year, $42 million deal.
Many catchers fizzle once they reach their 30s, as the position's grind is so intense. Carlton Fisk was one exception. So was Johnny Bench. Then again, Bench's career was never quite the same after a home-plate collision with Gary Matthews in 1975.
• How much other catchers have been compensated. The Yankees' Jorge Posada has the highest salary of any major league catcher, at $13.1 million per year. Granted, he signed his four-year deal when he was 36, or a decade older than Mauer is now. But unlike in the NFL, baseball contracts are guaranteed, regardless of injury, so the Twins would be taking a significant risk.
Teams can insure multiyear deals, covering themselves in case of injury, but the premiums aren't cheap, especially for pitchers and catchers.
By the end of a 10-year extension, Mauer almost certainly would be playing another position. He's athletic enough to make a switch to a corner infield or outfield position, and there's always DH. But even with the same offensive production, he wouldn't be as valuable as he is at catcher.
• Mauer's injury history. He had a knee injury as a rookie, a quadriceps injury in 2007 and a puzzling lower-back injury that kept him out last April. He also had surgery to remove a kidney obstruction last offseason.
When Mauer returned from the disabled list last May, he played like an ironman, and it's scary to think of what he might accomplish now, after a healthy winter. But there have been red flags in his career that are hard to dismiss when you're trying to forecast his long-term future.
• This deal is being negotiated at the peak of Mauer's value. If Mauer bats .330 with 20 home runs this year, it'll be a great season but won't match last year, when he became the first player to lead his league in batting average (.365), on-base percentage (.444) and slugging percentage (.587) since George Brett in 1980.
Do the Twins want to establish Mauer's salary for the next decade based on one of the best seasons in baseball history? With the Twins dead-set against deferring salary, they'll be committing a big chunk of future payrolls to one player.
Mauer is a special case, no doubt, and Twins can't afford to lose him. It's easy for me to say: Make him a Twin for life.
Then again, the next decade of the franchise's future isn't hinging on my decision.
Joe Christensen • jchristensen@startribune.com