Rumors over the last month have had the Minnesota Twins and catcher Joe Mauer going back and forth on a contract extension with the length being as long as 10 years and the annual amount as high as $30 million per season. It was believed Mauer had signed a ten-year contract with the Twins in early February, but the reports proved to be premature.

Jim Souhan of the Star Tribune suggests that the Twins may trade Mauer in the event that they cannot get the extension signed before he becomes a free agent. Souhan says, “a combination of modern baseball logic and Twins history suggests that if the Twins’ decision-makers can’t sign Mauer, they will be obligated to trade him.” Souhan adds, “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.

Related posts:

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