Shooter Now: Minnesota Twins, Joe Mauer have started contract t...

As the Minnesota Twins' top executive under the Pohlad family ownership, Jerry Bell has helped negotiate and approve the team's biggest player contracts in history.

[Betty]

I think I remember him saying the same thing about Tori, Santana, and countless others. If he stays, great, if he goes; who can blame him.

[Marcus]

Ahhh. So they really didn't want to keep Santana or Hunter. As far as Garza, I have heard they had some problems with him and probably did want to get rid of him.
But anyways, I do hope they sign Mauer to an extension. They are in big trouble if they don't. It's just too bad the playing field is not level compared to the Yankees and Bosox. Signing Mauer to that obscene amt of money will hurt the Twins in signing and/or keeping other stars in the future. The problem with smaller market teams.

[oxboro]

Joe was born to wear Yankee pinstripes

[Reality Speaks]

oxboro wrote:

Joe was born to wear Yankee pinstripes

You're one major a-hole.

[My prediction]

Here is how talks will go:

Bell: "well Joe, we can afford to offer you 2 free tickets to every home game (but only General Admission), free airfare (coach) to all the away games, free equipment (used, bought on ebay), and we'll bring Dome Dogs to the new stadium and call them Mauer Meat Logs."

Joe: "Geez Jerry, that's nice of you and all. What about the money?"

Bell: "What money?"

Joe: "How much are you going to offer me to play here"

Bell: "well, if you're going to be a hard negotiator, I can afford to pay you $100 per game. But we'll have to cut Nathan, Baker, and Morneau to afford that much. I'd like to pay you more Joe, but the Pohlads are trying to rewire their house, and they need all the pennys they can find to pinch into wire. I know the Yankees are offering $25 million per season, but at $100 per game I am offering over $16,000 per season! Can't you give us a $24.985 million hometown discount?"

[Flynn Fan]

oxboro wrote:

Joe was born to wear Yankee pinstripes

Naah, he was born to play for the Bo Sox, who just released their long time catcher. HMMMMMMMM. If he does stay, I hope he bullies them into agreeing to spend more money on other players too!

[Ted Williams Head]

oxboro wrote:

Joe was born to wear Yankee pinstripes

Absolutly WRONG!!! His swing is tailor made for Fenway.

[oxboro]

Reality Speaks wrote:

<quoted text>You're one major ****.

one major genius?..i think im the realistic one

[Reality Speaks]

Ted Williams Head wrote:

<quoted text>
Absolutly WRONG!!! His swing is tailor made for Fenway.

If you're really Ted Williams head, how did you key in your post? Or do you use a VRU?

[Woofer]

Its Baby Jesus who prob instigated these talks. Here is what is going to happen, whatever the Twins offer him his agent will "relay" that information to the Yanks..and they will just say OK now add 100 million and thats our offer. Done deal Joe to the Yanks, 0.0 chance he will be a Twin in 2 years. And its all business for those homers out there, the Players Union will not allow Joe to take less money.

[what what]

Trade him now so we can get a terrible relief pitcher and a spastic outfielder who we'll later trade for a washed up short stop. Wait...that sounds familiar.

[Big Laker]

Jerry Bell wrote:

"I'm past the point where I get nervous about these things," Bell said. "It'll get worked out. They usually do. We usually are able to work something out with players who we really want to keep."

Did Jerry Bell just tell us that the Twins didn't really want to sign Hunter or Santana? Or Rod Carew for that matter?

[Billy St Paul]

If Joe doesn't care about winning a world series, he should sign for less and stay here.....wait, none of that makes any sense......family and staying close to home isn't always enough to keep someone here.

If they want to keep Joe, they WILL have to maintain the talent they already have, cut loose the dead weight and headaches(Punto, Delmon Young, and some underachieving pitchers), and spend some money on a pitching staff that has no clear cut No. 1 or No. 2 starter, and find a legit left fielder.

[Elvis Presley]

Big Laker wrote:

<quoted text>
Did Jerry Bell just tell us that the Twins didn't really want to sign Hunter or Santana? Or Rod Carew for that matter?

Hope he did.

The Angels will be paying 18 million dollars for a 37 year old outfielder in 2012.

The Mets will be paying $21 million in 2010,$22.5 million in 2011,$24 million in 2012, and $25.5 million in 2013 for a pitcher who now has elbow problems.

[Falstaff1962]

The difference between this deal and other ones like Santana or Hunter is that the Twins (hopefully)realize this one goes beyond letting a player slip away. You want to ensure an empty stadium before it even opens, then you don't extend Mauer. It's as simple as that. With that said- anyone who thinks Mauer will take a "hometown discount" is dreaming. Maybe he'll sign here for $24 million instead of $25 million per year, but don't expect him to cheerfully sign for half the amount he would get on the open market. Why should he? And what true competitor would want to stay on a team that seriously thinks Nick Punto is the answer to any question other than "who should be sitting on the bench for 150 of the 162 games"?

[Billy St Paul]

the Twins aren't in it to win it, they are in it to make money, winning comes second, or third!

Second was to get themselves that staduim that should be called "Columbia Outerwear Stadium", because that's what the fans will be wearing for about 50 of the 82 home games there.......

Pohlads.....penny pinching idiots!

[mnj]

Mauer will be on the bosox in a year, hit .400 and win his first ring

[sandiegokid]

Twins cannot afford the kind of money JM commands for one player. They just cannot. It is even riskier with pitchers, but regardless of the position, if Twins spend that kind of dough on one player and miss (injury, player turns bust, etc) they are screwed for years. Trade him to Yanks, Bosox, etc... and hope to get a better return that what they got for santana.

Worst possible thing to do (which is probably how it will play out) is to let him walk away as a free agent and get nothing in return

[Say What]

Elvis Presley wrote:

<quoted text>
Hope he did.
The Angels will be paying 18 million dollars for a 37 year old outfielder in 2012.
The Mets will be paying $21 million in 2010,$22.5 million in 2011,$24 million in 2012, and $25.5 million in 2013 for a pitcher who now has elbow problems.

You must be a fraud - the Elvis we all know and hate never has anything to say of value, and this post actually makes sense.
Will the real Elvis stand up from the toilet?

[bcw352019]

Flynn Fan wrote:

<quoted text>
Naah, he was born to play for the Bo Sox, who just released their long time catcher. HMMMMMMMM. If he does stay, I hope he bullies them into agreeing to spend more money on other players too!

Are you refering to Jason Varitek? The same Jason Varitek who exercised his player option to stay with the Red Sux? A team that already has Victor Martinez? Don't worry Sux and Yankee$ fans Mauer is resigning with the Twins. Period. Now go away!