To Sign or Not to Sign

After a first round exit, most Twins fans felt this would be like any other year. Like normal, extremely quiet but maybe pick up an old washed-up player as we had before in Rondell White or Tony Bastista. Well not this year Twins fans! Just two days after the World Series ended the Twins made a move to shore up their infield by trading outfielder Carlos Gomez to Milwaukee for shortstop J.J. Hardy. Hardy, who was an All Star in 2007 and had All Star-like numbers in 2008, struggled in 2009 and was sent down to Triple-A Nashville. The Twins hopes and expectations are that Hardy can return to the All Star form he had in years past. Later on the off season, the Twins signed both Jim Thome and Orlando Hudson to one-year deals. What could better cap off an already outstanding off season better than signing the hometown hero Joe Mauer to a legacy contract? Wrong! I believe that the Twins should not sign Mauer to a long term deal.



The Rangers are probably the best example of why NOT to sign a star player to a large contract. In 2000, the Texas Rangers signed Alex Rodriguez to ten year deal worth two-hundred and fifty two million dollars, which at the time was the most lucrative contract in baseball history. Just like Rodriguez, Mauer is a big-time player who is the face of the franchise. I'm not saying that Mauer will leave Minnesota if he does sign long term but I am saying that this could backfire.



We all know that catcher is the position which takes the most wear and tear. So why would you sign a player to a long term contract, even if he is the best in all of baseball?

As in the real world, people (owners in this case) like to protect their investments. Whether it be changing the fuel in your car or putting anti-virus software on your computer, people do their best to see they get their money’s worth. The same is true in baseball. Instead of throwing two-hundred million dollars at a potential risk the Twins need to protect their investment. Therefore, I believe the Twins should not sign Mauer long term if they do not intend on keeping Wilson Ramos in the Twins system.



Think of it this way, when Mauer catches Ramos can DH, and when Ramos catches Mauer can DH. This can prolong both careers and protect the investment we would put in both Mauer and Ramos. By starting Ramos, the Twins lose nothing defensively or offensively to Mauer. This is like killing two birds with one stone, which is the most efficient method.