"Red Sox eyeing Mauer in 2011"

[RU Rah Rah]

And so it begins (courtesy of "Truth and Rumors"). Can we expect this for every good FA?

[sheetswannabe]

This is getting annoying. There needs to be a cap, Mauer will be paid a ton and the Red Sox wont even make a dent. Yankees are the worst, and Boston is actually pretty good in the way of money, but come on. CAP please.

[endaround]

Yes and it has been happening for the past 25 years.

[BrewCrewForever]

That is pretty far away yet. I hope the Twins can keep Mauer.

[Invader3K]

They'll probably end up doing the usual Twins thing and trade him after this season.

[jjfanec]

The Twins can keep Mauer they just need to decide if it is worth it. They will be moving into a new stadium. He is also a guy who is more than just a great player, he is a hometown kid who is the face of the team. However, just like many did not want us to sign CC because it could have crippled us, the Twins will have to ask the same questions about risk versus reward. He is a young guy who has had some knee trouble, so what position will he play. He is a pretty light hitting DH.

As for the Red Sox I think this shows restraint by them. They chose not to offer a huge contract to Tex so they could move on Mauer in the future. They did not want to be locked up in a ton of big long term deals when Mauer becomes a free agent. It is the same think NBA teams are doing for LeBron (in a sport with a heavy luxury tax, that almost acts like a cap). It is a calculated risk for the Sox because the Twins could sign Mauer or trade him in his last year and the Red Sox would miss out, but it is a risk they are willing to take.

[monty57]

I thought there were rules that a team (GM/owner/front office) couldn't talk about specific players that were still under contract by another team.

[Invader3K]

Well, the article didn't really quote anyone directly. Teams can talk internally about options, but you couldn't have Theo Epstein come out and say "We're going to try and get Joe Mauer after next season.," for example. That would be considered tampering.

[JoeHova]

2 years is a long time in sports. Tampa Bay was 61-101 in 2006 and the Tigers won 21 more games than they did in 2008. Not sure any team should be not making moves now in the hopes that a specific player becomes available in two years. It's one thing to say "we don't like any FAs this year, we'll sit this offseason out and use the money in the future", but it's another to hold open a position for two years for a potential free agent.

[RU Rah Rah]

I hate the "eyeing" thing. What the heck does that mean? They talked about it over the water cooler one day?

[sheetskout]

I say Mauer is the most likely candidate in the Major Leagues to stay with a team his whole career. He has Minnesota roots...

[mothershipconnection]

Yankees scouting David Price for 2014?

[ILuvDaBush]

No. Yankees eyeing Seaver Sheets for 2028 season (assuming the offspring of our former face ascends to the majors almost immediately after being drafted).

[Invader3K]

I hear Boston also has been eyeing Brett Lawrie, for when Cap'n Tek finally decides to hang it up around 2015.

[Ennder]

Two years from now Mauer will likely be a high OBP, lower power 1B and the Red Sox will pay too much to get him.

[Brian the Automator]

http://www.neo-geo.com/snk/screenshots/2020%20super%20baseball2.gif

 

By 2020, the Red Sox will have called up the headless robot "Liu" after Joe Mauer will have stepped on a landmine, putting him on the DL.

[sheetskout]

Two years from now Mauer will likely be a high OBP, lower power 1B and the Red Sox will pay too much to get him.

Unless your projecting some huge injury, there has never been any speculation that Mauer would move from catcher. He is arguably in the top three defensively in the league and handles pitching just fine...

[Katuluu]

He isn't arguably in the top three, he's far and away the best defensive catcher in the majors.

 

And the odds of him leaving the Twins is slim and none. Thr city and the franchise absolutely worship the guy.

[kramnoj]

Unless your projecting some huge injury, there has never been any speculation that Mauer would move from catcher.

 

There was speculation about Mauer moving away from catcher before he was drafted, because there isn't a history of success of catchers that are as tall as he is.

 

The Twins will have the money to retain Mauer, it's just a question of how much he wants and if the Twins will pay up. The thought over at bbtf among some smart Twins fans is that Mauer will sign before he becomes a FA.

[monty57]

By 2020, the Red Sox will have called up the headless robot "Liu" after Joe Mauer will have stepped on a landmine, putting him on the DL.

 

Well, if he hits .405 with 50 HRs, I think he's worh the call up.

[BrewCrewForever]

If Mauer develops more power with all of his other skills he would probably get a deal that would make him the highest paid catcher ever. Just my opinion.

[Ennder]

Unless your projecting some huge injury, there has never been any speculation that Mauer would move from catcher. He is arguably in the top three defensively in the league and handles pitching just fine...

Catchers with bad knees at a young age generally don't stick at the position, especially ones that can hit enough to fill another position