The Sox may end up thanking their stars that they didn’t pull the trigger on a trade for one of the Texas Triangle catchers because Joe Mauer could be donning red socks as soon as this July.
Mauer, an impending free agent after 2010, will command a contract with a salary range between $20-$25 million, reported Nick Cafardo yesterday.
Slated to turn 26 on April 19, Mauer would be one of the most sought after players should he land in the free agent market with both the Red Sox, New York Yankees and other teams bidding for his services.
After all, it’s not every day you get a young, All-Star catcher who’s already won two batting titles.
In 2008, Mauer hit .328/.413/.451 with 31 doubles and nine dingers. He was awarded with a Gold Glove this past season for his work behind the plate. Catcher’s fielding is perhaps the most difficult thing to quantify in baseball, but let’s try.
Tango Tiger’s Scouting Reports (in which fans of the teams offer their opinion on fielding) ranks Mauer a 77 on overall fielding (50 is league-average, scale is 0-100). He has good instincts and everything you look for in a catcher: great hands, strong and accurate arm. Indeed, his caught stealing percentage is 41.2, which is just… awesome. He rarely makes errors and has great range. Bottom line: he’s a force on both sides of the plate.
While he only stole one base last year, he’s stolen as much as 13. There really is no overall weakness to Mauer’s game. The only concern is that Mauer is 6′5″ — his knees may start going sooner rather than later and he’ll eventually have to move to first or left field. This has been an oft-cited weakness of Mauer, however, and it has yet to affect him in any way… so he could simply be a freak of nature.
The economy might dictate the moving of Mauer midseason if the Twins aren’t in the race. A lot of teams have and will have financial troubles. As the season progresses and the outlook of the team and economy become clearer, you may find people making money or on the cusp of it being moved simply for those reasons.
Also, you might be wondering why the Twins would move Mauer if he’s not a free agent until after 2010. It’s the same theory that Texas followed by unloading Mark Teixeira onto the Braves: you’ll get more value for a season and a half of Mauer rather than just a season or less. Texas reaped the rewards in that trade and will contend for years to come because of it.
The Twins could easily ask for a package headlined by Clay Buchholz… and get it. I don’t think the Sox would blink at a package consisting of Buchholz, Josh Reddick, Luis Exposito and Yamaico Navarro.
If the Sox were lucky enough to get Mauer midseason (and even if not, they could just as easily track Mauer down in the offseason), it would obviously put Jason Varitek in a backup role. Bard would have to be moved (likely to Minnesota as filler) and Varitek would walk after the year because he would want to start (I’m assuming).
This is going to be a topic of much discussion until Mauer either signs a contract extension, is traded/signs elsewhere or with the Sox, or the Sox acquire a different catcher of the future.
It bears asking: Is it smart to invest over $20 million annual salary into catcher, such a volatile position? Would it be smart to give up Buchholz and other top prospects or wait Mauer out until free agency?
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if Theo pulls it off midseason, it will provide yet another reason for Boston sports fans to love the (mis)management of Minnesota sports organizations.
I don’t comment on these types of idiot ramblings often but felt compelled to on this one. there is no way that Mauer is ever moved from the Twins organization. they open a new stadium next year and the backlash of trading away a homegrown star that is the face of the franchise would be catastrophic for them. this isn’t like trading Santana or letting Hunter walk. Neither had the fan appeal as Mauer does. Mauer was the face of the franchise the last two years Santana and Hunter played with the team. Also if you had done any research at all you would see that the Twins are in contract negotiations with Mauer and his agent right now for an extension that is around $20 mil per season. So maybe you should actually try and find things out before you write about anything outside of Boston. Boston fans truly know nothing about baseball outside of their city and New York. It is sad
Is seeing a troll one of the first signs of spring?
As ridiculous as this “article” is, the fact that someone would take the ramblings of one Boston fan (who admits to using Tango Tigers Scouting Reports as an authority when gathering info) to lump all Boston fans together as knowing nothing in a comment is even more so!
Brilliant assessment!
Uhuh, and let’s assume that the current economic situation persists another year. Baseball isn’t recession proof and the Twins were in danger of contraction only a few years ago in relatively good economic times. Opening a new stadium may not guarantee better revenues now, especially in April when it will still be freezing in Minneapolis and fans will have to sit outside.
Maybe they regard Mauer as an exception, but they’ve been pretty cold-blooded in the past, so it’s not stupid to speculate that the Red Sox might at least make an inquiry and that if Mauer hits the market they’d be one of the front-runners given their need of a catcher and glut of prospects. Better yet, what if Mauer doesn’t sign with Minnesota and hits the open market in 2010, you don’t think the Red Sox and Yankees will be all over that?
All Evan did was speculate about the Red Sox being interested in Joe Mauer and try to put in context the type of player that Mauer is.You are blowing it way out of proportion.
Trust me, we know plenty about Minnesota sports, you give us most of our good players.
Guess we will have to wait and see if MN actually extends Mr. Mauer, Twin Cities native-face of the franchise. If the Twins do, and they would be foolish not to, this discussion is moot for the Boston and Yankees quest for a catcher of the future.
If they don’t extend him, I would still not be in favor of moving Buchholz, Reddick, Expo and others AND writing another $20MM contract. This would undercut the Sox efforts to build from within. Kottaras, Brown, Wagner, Expo may not be Joe Mauer, but they aren’t sliced bread either. With Tek and Bard in place, Brown & Kottaras in the wings, the bridge to Wagner-Expo who show genuine promise, is firmly in place, and other options could arise.
It’s true, that’s the same argument I used re: Santana vs. Lester, Masterson, Bowden, Ellbury; and Teix instead of displacing Youk, Mike and Lars, and focusing on SP & RP. Call me irresponsible.
The funny part is that, even as a Boston Red Sox fan, I was going to post something similar to what this guy said. The sad part is that he blew any credibility he had with his screen name even though his general point is a good one. The part I enjoy is completely blowing his rant by being a rational Boston fan.
I understand why a lot of people, particularly on this blog, have been salivating over Mauer. He’s clearly one of the most talented catchers in baseball and he might hit free agency in two years. However, I think everyone here has underestimated his connections with the Twin Cities and how critical he is to the Twins organization. They are moving into a new ballpark next year and the WORST way to do that would be to ship off their home-grown star.
I also think that everyone has highly underrated the Twins. This is a team that was one bad trade (the Santana dump) from being the AL Central division winner yet and has great young pitching depth that they’ve started to lock up for the future (see the Scott Baker extension) and pretty good young position players as well. I think that, with the Indians, they have to be considered one of the two best teams in a pretty deep AL Central.
If they struggled this year I could see them shipping off other players, but not Mauer. His trade would be a public relations disaster for the organization.
If the Twins trade Mauer I will eat my Marty Barrett Jersey.
I agree with many (but not all!) of the commentors… I don’t see the Twins parting ways with Mauer.
That said, $20M per year is alot of money and if Mauer and his agent want no less the $20M… I’m not sure the Twins can do it.
Justin Morneau just signed a 6yr, $80M extension (13+ per year)… and the Twins have to move Santana to make it happen.
Personally, I don’t know where Cafardo is coming up with $20-25… I don’t see the Twins or any other team (save the Yanks) offering a 4-6 year deal in that range… but the Yanks DO need a catcher too…
Bottom Line: The Sox didn’t pull the trigger on Teixeira because of the price… they won’t do it for Mauer either.
If the Twins do extend Mauer… maybe the Sox should offer a trade for Jose Morales (.300 hitter in AAA)
http://www.fangraphs.com/statss.aspx?playerid=3726&position=C
Apropos to enjoying real baseball (WBC) in March, I have heard several rave comments about the catcher playing for the Netherlands in their upset win. One blogger called him the best in the WBC. I have no idea who it was, as I didn’t see the game and they have four catchers.
Their two 22 year olds from the Dodgers and SFO farm system are probably not “the one”. That leaves their starter Sidney de Jong (age 30) or Martin Meeuwis (age 27) both from the Nederlands. Did anyone see the game, and have a connection to a Red Sox scout?
1) Stop being a tool and jealous
2) “lso if you had done any research at all you would see that the Twins are in contract negotiations with Mauer and his agent right now for an extension that is around $20 mil per season.”
That’s what spurred this article.
3) “Boston fans truly know nothing about baseball outside of their city and New York. It is sad”
Considering I write about general baseball for HEATER, MVN Outsider and Hardball Times, care for a duel to see who knows more about baseball?
Heck, I bet I know more about the Twins than you.
Sure, the Twins may be underrated, but it’s completely plausible to have that team finish under .500.
The economy is hitting teams hard, and I fail to see why it’s not feasible to move Mauer.
If the Twins can’t afford him, homegrown face of the franchise or not, he will leave.
BL Rob: Would prefer Carlos Santana (Indians).
But my guess is that the club moves either Garko or Victor midseason and makes Victor the 1b (if he’s the one to stay ) with Kelly the starter and Santana the eventual backup/push to start guy.
Mauer is definitely an awesome player. The salary isn’t necessarily a problem, but if the Twins were to seriously entertain trade offers, then how many years would Mauer want on an extension and what kind of package would it cost? The years are huge, as you mentioned, because of the position (could break down). But Mauer is a top-five player in baseball, and could very well have two MVP’s now (no disrespect to Pedroia who was worthy too)
I live in Minnesota. There’s no way in the world the Twins would trade Mauer this season. Oh, maybe if the Sox sent Lester, Dice-K, and Buchholz+ the Twins would listen. But he’s a favorite son here. Trading him would be like trading Kirby Puckett and a MUCH bigger deal than Santana. The Twins will tie him up long-term for something in the $18 million range. He’s not going anywhere, particularly with a new stadium coming. Cross him off the list, even if it would be nice to see the Sox get him (he’s a good guy and way better than Sox fans realize).
Evan,
Great post, It’s hard to see the twinkies move Mauer because of his link to the city, but also it’s hard to see the twinkies shelling out 20+ million a season for an extension for him. That being said this would be an awesome pick-up for the Sox if they could get it done, Mauer is probably the best all-around catcher in baseball.
Whoever the idiot was who wrote Boston fans know nothing about baseball besides what goes on in Boston or New York you are plain stupid Boston fans are among the most intelligent fan there are! Dont listen to that idiot Evan you run a great blog that I read everyday, Keep up the great work!
Understandable argument certainly.
If they weren’t opening a new stadium next year I would be right with you about this being a possibility. However, since they will be leaving that dreadful stadium for much sweeter digs, I really don’t think they can afford to let go of the franchise player this season. That would be a very large middle finger to their fans (granted the Pohlad family has done this before) and more importantly would put a serious damper on ticket sales for Target Field or whatever they are calling the new place.
Now, if they struggle this year and the first half of next year then all bets are off. I just don’t see them as being desperate enough this year to pull off something like this, particularly after they got hosed so badly in the Santana debacle.
IF, and its a big if, they were to put him up on the block, what would they have to pull in to make it palatable to their organization? I’d probably say two or three of the Lester, Anderson, Bucholz, Masterson, Bowden group to start with another one or two low A players tossed in. Steep price but might be worth it. I don’t think its going to happen anyway though.
Hey TonyC,
I hope it happens. I like seeing homegrown players stay with their team. But there’s more of a chance of him being moved than you/others seem to realize.
Hey, it could happen that he’s moved in the 2010 season. But the Sox won’t be bringing in another franchise catcher unless it makes sense for them… because theyw ant Mauer. It’s why Buchholz/Salty wasn’t done.
Evan, I have to agree with that guy. It appears you know nothing at all. I mean, to suggest that there is a chance that the best catcher in baseball might leave a team that has never given a player more than $14 million for a contract of $25 million is ridiculous. If the Twins were to give Mauer $25 million, he would represent about 30% of their payroll.
Realistically, if Mauer was a free agent today the Red Sox would offer something like 6-7 years for about $130 million. Do you honestly think the Twins could even approach that when there payroll for 2008 was only $57 million? Why would Mauer take a pretty decent pay-cut to play for a bad team? And yes, if Mauer comes back a $18M per they will be a bad team.
I’m not sitting around waiting for this to happen, hell i wouldn’t want Mauer in 2010 for any deal like the above one, but i could easily see it happen.
off of Rotowire.com…
Joe Mauer Monday, March 09, 2009
News: Mauer will have an MRI on his back and stomach to determine while he’s still having discomfort after kidney surgery in December, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. He’s stopped on-field activities because of the discomfort.
Analysis: Mauer was going to take it slow initially during spring training due to the surgery, but was expected to return to full workouts by now. His surgery is now becoming a major concern for him missing playing time at the start of the regular season.
If it takes $20+ million to sign Mauer, then yes, the Twins will not sign him. But seeing him in action and reading about his everyday orbit here in Minnesota, I have a very hard time believing that he will necessarily go for the jugular so far as money is concerned. The Twins are a very quiet, off-the-radar franchise for the most part. Either they lack the big bucks or simply won’t part with it (people disagree on this point out here). But one thing is for sure: They produce really solid, fundamentally sound players. And head cases don’t survive the Twins’ system for the most part. If this were Manny, his days would be numbered as a Twin. But this is Mauer, not Manny. I believe he’ll give the Twins a significant home-discount provided they sign him early enough and stay competitive. They are producing good, low-cost players, so I have every reason to believe they’ll stay competitive. Midwesterners tend to stay a lot closer to home and hearth than folks on either coast. Mauer strikes me as a prototypical midwesterner. Does that mean he’ll give up $10 million per year to stay a Twin? Probably not. But teams would do well to consider that as great as he is (and he really is), he’s a 6′5″ catcher who has already has had his share of injuries at a relatively young age. I have my doubts about Mauer being a Fisk. A goodly number of folks out here think (a) that perhaps the Twins should consider switching him to another position, and (b) that he doesn’t fit the mold of the old-style catcher who will keep playing with 3 broken hands and a blund eye. The (quiet) rap on him here is that he’s hesitant to play unless he’s 100%.
Interesting info, TonyC, and I can confirm that Midwesterners are more apt to be comfortable at home, and Joe Mauer and the Twins are made for each other.
I seriously wonder, if in a struggling economy that gurus like Warren Buffet believe has a year or two to go, whether we will see any signings the likes of Tiex, Lowe, Manny for a few years.
Even these three, even with Boras making fools of GM’s, owners, players, the media, and the Players Union, still came in well below demands; and most solid FA talent signed for bargains. It is probable, in this environment, that the Twins will be able to meet Joe’s demands and break in the new stadium, providing emotional relief in a difficult world. Priceless.
That said, the Sox missed out on Posey, weren’t fooled about Salty’s catching skilled, or TG’s (Boras) spin, and know that one of Brown, Wagner, Expo, Kottaras is as good as Montero. Best I can tell, the Nederlander catcher is Jansen, who is in the Dodgers farm system. He looks pretty good. LaSorda was there at tonite’s game. Could the Sox get him, or Martin?
The Red Sox potential pursuit of Joe Mauer isn’t and shouldn’t be a surprise to any fan of baseball, Twins or otherwise. I would, just as easily, throw the Yankees and Mets in that conversation as well.
I am surprised that people would take issue with the fact that Mauer is just as likely to wear another uniform as the Twins in 2011.
On the other hand, in your open where you state, “because Joe Mauer could be donning red socks as soon as this July.”, may be where you lose the credibility with the more national audience.
Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if, and would actually expect the Red Sox to, call Minnesota up at the deadline and entertain packages that would make it happen. But at the end of the day, I think 2009 is a year too early for it all to go down.
For it to happen this year, the Red Sox would have to offer a premium package starting with two tier 1 starters (Buchholz being one of them), a reliever (likely Bard or Delcarmen), and Lars Anderson or Jacoby Ellsbury. I think the cost for that dance is just too high.
I don’t think the price will be as high as he gets closer to Free Agency.
“Mauer and the Monster” would almost be a dreamy scenario though, wouldn’t it? :)
It happened with Teixeira
True…but it didn’t with more people than that. Is it possible? Yes…
Is it likely? I don’t think so…and if they did pull the trigger, I think the cost is higher this year than next.
I do think the Sox will inquire and if the deal were something palatable to them, they would do it. Getting something palatable to them will be the hard part (see Johan sweeps as example #1)
This article is painfully written. “Slated to turn 26″? Really…? This idea is stale, and there’s no way the Twins trade Mauer. They finished one game out of the AL Central, and it’ll be just as wide open this year.
Evan, please go back to fourth grade, pass an English class, then come back.
No way Joe is going anywhere. Twins 3rd string catcher Jose Morales is the one they will likely move. He has played a bit this year and batted over .300 most of the time. Hit a couple homers too. He is young and maybe the Sox could use him.
Has anyone considered that Mauer may be willing to accept lessmoney to stay in MN? would that not be refreshing, loyalty in place of greed?
It seems like everyone has forgotten the man who hits behind Mauer, former MVP Justin Morneau. I doubt the Twins will be a bad team if they sign Mauer to a big contract and have Morneau for a good number of years, both of whom will be in their respective primes. With them, the good looking young rotation, the bullpen that’s coming around, and the solid supporting cast (Kubel, Cuddyer, Span), I could see the Twins making a run for a title. Just give them a couple years. They’re still a young team that’s just starting to click.
And also, if there’s any ballplayer who would choose loyalty over greed, it’s Mauer. See the new SI article.