3/19 13:53: Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated says that talks are progressing with Joe Mauer and a deal is expected to be completed in a few weeks. Heyman says that both sides are willing to talk into the season to complete the deal.

3/19 09:59: Buster Olney of ESPN The Magazine says that any contract extension between MVP catcher Joe Mauer and the Minnesota Twins will either happen “very soon — sometime in the next couple of weeks, or much sooner” or it will happen “way down the road, months from now.”

Olney says that the Twins may table the conversations if a deal is not struck by Opening Day due to the new ballpark opening and to allow Mauer to focus on the 2010 season.

Some players set Opening Day deadlines to get a deal in place. Some do it to get their mind away from the negotiation grind and others want to use it as a negotiation tactic to force the other parties’ hand. On occassion a player will continue to negotiate during the season especially if a deal is close. Mauer’s agent, Ron Shapiro, has had precedence in working on deal during the season when he finalized a contract for Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr.

Mauer has been recently mentioned as candidate to replace Jorge Posada in New York after the season in addition to being a trade candidate by midseason if both sides cannot come to an agreement before then.

Mauer, 26, won the 2009 American League MVP when he hit .365 with 28 home runs and 96 RBIs. If Mauer hits the free agent market, you can expect that the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees will be the first in line to throw money at him. You can see Mauer’s contract history and statistics here.

Related posts:

1. Joe Mauer Contract Rumors: Negotiations are continuing
2. Joe Mauer Rumors: Could Mauer get $200 million deal?
3. Joe Mauer Contract Rumors: Sides are NOT close to an agreement
4. Joe Mauer Trade Rumors: Could the Twins trade their hometown hero?
5. Joe Mauer Rumors: Twins do not want to defer money in his contract