The twins face a tough decision with Joe Mauer
The Minnesota Twins must have breathed a sigh of relief at the recent news from Major League Baseball officials, but the team still has a big problem as it prepares for the 2018 season. Commissioner Rob Manfred’s office issued a announced last week that All Star third baseman Miguel Sano would not be suspended for an alleged sexual assault incident, which MLB concluded it did not have sufficient evidence to investigate further.
Sano, of course, is an essential part of the Twins’ batting order, a middle-of-the-lineup presence who helped propel Minnesota to the playoffs in 2017 after suffering the worst record in the sport the year before. His absence due to suspension, along with an injury to pitcher Ervin Santana, would no doubt have hampered the club’s chances of a strong start to the season.
Although Sano will be in the lineup on Opening Day and Santana will return to the mound in May, the Twins are likely to be overwhelmed by a bigger problem, one that has negatively affected teams in the past. The face of the Minnesota franchise, a local high school standout who has played with the local club for the past fifteen seasons, is no longer under contract after this season.
Former MVP Joe Mauer, who also won multiple batting and Silver Sluggers titles as well as making ten All-Star Game appearances, is on the end of a long and lucrative contract. That eight-year contract signed in 2010 paid Mauer $23 million per year for the next eight seasons, elating fans with the guarantee that his hometown hero would stay in Minnesota.
At the time, Mauer was the best in baseball at his position, a catcher who had won two batting titles and three Gold Gloves. Unfortunately, he suffered a series of injuries in back-to-back seasons, prompting the Twins to move him to a position where his long-term investment would be less likely to be on the disabled list.
Because of that move, Mauer soon went from the best at his position to one near the bottom in terms of stats. In 2014, not even halfway through his contract, Mauer’s batting average plummeted from .324 to .277.
Along with the declining average, he also suffered an alarming reduction in power, a tool long considered essential for first basemen. His home run total went from double figures to just four in 2014, by far the lowest among any major league first baseman.
He managed to regain some of his power over the next two seasons, but his batting average dropped to .264 and .266. He finally rebounded last season, finishing with a .303 average but just seven home runs.
Despite the improved batting average, the Twins’ small market simply can’t afford to keep a first baseman who has very little power. This reality becomes even clearer when you consider that slugger Miguel Sano, currently at third base, is physically more prepared to play first base.
There are already signs that Minnesota and its former All Star will no longer be together after this season, when his contract expires. One portent could be the fact that his older brother is no longer employed by the team, as Jake Bauer has stepped down after serving more than a decade as a coach in the Minnesota organization.
Another indication that the Twins plan to move on without Mauer is the club’s curious signing of free agent Logan Morrison, who like Mauer is a left-handed first baseman. Morrison signed for two seasons, indicating that he will likely inherit the job when Mauer has signed elsewhere.
Having spent his entire career playing for his hometown team, Mauer could opt to retire on the off chance that the Twins won’t host him again. He’s only 35, though, so Mauer could benefit and even thrive from a change of scenery with a new team. He’s still one of the hardest hitters in the game to strike out, facing more pitches per plate appearance than any other player.