Anyone who does sports odds (US sportsbook reviews) in baseball knows that you have to spend money to make money, like bringing in the best players, having a state-of-the art stadium for your fans so you can pay for said stadium, and the list goes on and on. The Minnesota Twins have long earned a reputation for being tight with their wallet, but they’re looking to show their MVP that they’ll go out and get players, with money left for him as well.
Joe Mauer has won three of the last four batting titles, three Silver Sluggers, two Gold Gloves and is easily the best catcher in baseball. But the defending American League MVP is heading into a contract year, and many are wondering when the high-paying vultures like the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox will swoop. Both are looking to replace aging catchers (Jorge Posada in New York, Jason Varitek in Boston), and Mauer will be 27 and entering the prime of his career before the first month of the 2010 season is over.
The Twins will start this season at Target Field, which replaces the Metrodome, and they’ve already spent some money to acquire Orlando Hudson, Jim Thome and Carl Pavano, among others. Some are saying that the benchmark for Mauer’s contract will be the deal signed by teammate Justin Morneau in 2008. Morneau, who won the MVP in 2006, signed a six-year, $80 million deal, and you have to think that Mauer’s agent has thrown that out there. The Twins also remember what happened to star pitcher Johan Santana, who the Twins couldn’t afford, and then traded to the New York Mets. The Twins haven’t had an ace since, and their fans aren’t happy about it, so look for them to do all they can to keep Mauer in town.