Let’s take care of some of that contract stuff for Joe Mauer. There is no better time than now to get the contract extension done. The question is weather he will command a 200 million dollar contact or not. In my opinion I think the Minnesota Twins can lock Mauer up without giving him half the worth of their new stadium.

Here are the contractual goals for each side:

The Twins:

1. Lock up Joe Mauer long term.
2. Don’t eat up too much payroll so they can still build a competitive team around him.
3. Hometown discount.

The Joe Mauer Camp:

1. Being paid his worth to a Major League club.
2. Stay in Minnesota.

So how about this deal for Mauer and the Twins?

• (6 years/$120 million) with a $24 million dollar option for 2016 (7 years/$144 million)

Here is the contractual breakdown:

• 2010: $15 million
• 2011: $18 million
• 2012: $19 million
• 2013: $21 million
• 2014: $23 million
• 2015: $24 million
• 2016: $24 million (club option)

Why it works for the Twins:

1. Keeps Mauer in Minnesota.
2. Prevents him from even getting a whiff of free agency.

Why it works for Mauer:

1. Stays in Minnesota
2. Becomes the highest paid catcher in baseball.

For Joe Mauer, this deal represents his strong desire to stay in Minnesota long term and help put together a winning product there. Sure, he could get a bigger and longer contract on the open market (7 years/$150 mil, 8 years/$160 mil), but given the Twins payroll flexibility, this deal would represent a massive commitment for them. It does help that the Twins are moving into a new stadium in April because without the added revenue, there’s virtually no way that a deal like this could ever be offered. $20 million annually is not too shabby for the former frugal spending Twins.

If the Twins payroll stays around the $90 million mark, then they will be committing a large portion of their payroll to a catcher. I don’t think any baseball fan out there is too fond of this idea, but quite simply, Mauer is worth it. He is one of the best players in baseball and represents so much to the Twins organization.

Related posts:

1. Joe Mauer Rumors: Could Mauer get $200 million deal?
2. Joe Mauer Rumors: Twins do not want to defer money in his contract
3. Minnesota Twins Rumors: Jim Thome and Joe Mauer
4. Joe Mauer and Twins agree to a 10-year contract
5. Mauer to begin negotiations with Twins