Font ResizeAt about 11 a.m. Monday, a sleepy, sore, bespectacled Joe Mauer ambled into the Twins clubhouse to do some packing, say some goodbyes and, to his chagrin, field a stream of questions about his hours-old offseason.
With the end of the 2009 season, the Twins begin what promises to be one of the franchise's most interesting offseasons. With the Twins moving from the Metrodome to Target Field, GM Bill Smith should have leeway to spend more in free agency than he's had in the past, but the prevailing topic hovering around this year's hot stove season will be Mauer.
Like Johan Santana after the 2007 season, Mauer is entering the final year of his contract, a four-year, $33 million deal with his hometown team. The St. Paul native remembers the months leading up to the Santana trade, so is he ready to be in a similar situation this winter?
"I guess I'm not prepared," Mauer said. "I really haven't thought about it. I always said it will happen when it needs to happen. I'm not a guy that's saying we need to get it done right away. Just let it happen when it happens."
From the Twins' perspective, it needs to happen now.
To avoid a flood of national media attention, quash the potential distraction that a three-time batting champion one season from free agency can bring, and to reassure a fan base heading into a new ballpark, Smith's most important order of business — and perhaps the most significant mark he'll make on his franchise no matter how long his
If Smith, who refuses to answer questions about contract negotiations, can't sign Mauer before next season, the team almost certainly would have to trade the catcher to avoid losing him to free agency for nothing more than compensatory draft picks. Mauer said he hasn't thought about playing for any other team. His teammates hope it stays that way.
"That's like having no Twins in Minnesota, not having Mauer. That doesn't even make sense," outfielder Denard Span said. "You can't even think of him not being here. It's like seeing Michael Jordan without a Bulls uniform. He has to stay, for the city, for the organization.
"It's going to be a tough decision for him whatever he decides to do, and he has the right to make whatever decision he wants to. But it's hard to fathom Mauer and the Twins not being together."
One more thing hard to fathom?
"The amount of money he's going to get," outfielder Michael Cuddyer said. "He's obviously the face of this franchise. I'm sure the Twins are going to do everything in their power to keep him. I think ultimately it's going to come down to what he wants."
If Mauer goes to free agency, he'd likely get one of the richest, if not the richest, contracts in baseball history. He's just 26 years old and has won three batting titles, a Gold Glove and two Silver Sluggers, and this year is in the running for his first MVP award. His .365 batting average in 2009 is the highest single-season average for a catcher in baseball history. And this season, as he added points to his average, he added power as well, hitting 28 home runs with 96 runs batted in.
Late in the season, Mauer told the New York Times he isn't interested in being the highest-paid player in baseball. Instead, he said, he simply wants to win.
The Twins won the American League Central Division this season for the fifth time in eight years. Smith signed free agent Joe Crede during spring training, traded for Orlando Cabrera, Carl Pavano and Jon Rauch, and picked up Ron Mahay after the Royals released him. Did those moves, which helped propel the Twins to the American League Division Series, prove to Mauer that the franchise will do what it takes to win?
"We got to the postseason, and that's our goal every year, but yeah, it was nice to see," Mauer said. "Cabrera was a huge acquisition for us. Rauch and Mahay, we made some moves to help our ballclub, and that's a good thing. We'll see what happens."
His agent, Ron Shapiro, also represented Kirby Puckett and Cal Ripken Jr. and has a reputation of being a dealmaker willing to keep a client with one team for the long haul. Mauer said he and Shapiro have had minimal talks about his contract status, with the season keeping any serious discussion from developing.
As reporters filed away from his locker Monday, Mauer, who said he planned to see team doctors soon about his sore hip flexor and any other bumps and bruises he'd accrued this season, continued his packing.
His work is over. Smith's has just begun.
