Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com says that the contract extension talks between catcher Joe Mauer and the Minnesota Twins “are not stalled by any means.” Both sides will continue to negotiate with Opening Day the likely deadline for Mauer to halt the talks.

Rumors this off season have pegged the deal at $20-25 million per season for as long as 10 years. Jim Souhan of the Star Tribune said last week, “if (agent Ron) Shapiro is intent on pushing Mauer to $25 million or more a year, Mauer might find himself on the Johan Santana Shuttle out of town.”

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.

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