we got him

[gr8icefishinmind]

joe mauer agrees to 8 year 184 million dollar extension with twins!!

[Quackaddict9]

Yup, just saw that on the Trib site...it's finally done!

[gr8icefishinmind]

Finally is right..........nice to see the twins dish out some cash to keep a all star player!!!

[duckhuntr21]

Nice!!!!!!! If it is real this time.

[Canon Guy]

I think I just felt a giant sigh of relief from the states sports fans.

[Jarrod32]

It features a full no-trade clause.

On the other side of the coin, word today is that Nathan will undergo Tommy John surgery and be out for 2010...

[cbrooks]

This has to be one of the biggest contracts out. Glad to hear he will be a Twin for the next 8 years.

[toughguy]

#2 in all of baseball behind A-Rod

[riverrat56]

Well that just made my day!

[DTro]

As much as I hate to see these GIANT contracts, if anyone deserves it, it's him.

[Team Otter]

Eight years is a long time, a huge commitment for both parties and I'm not sure entirely necessary. Yes, he's good but his longevity and health is a concern. Four years would have been plenty including the same dollar signs and strings attached, so when the next "Joe Mauer" comes around, they could possibly act on that and then some. Great story line though. I wish him and the organization well.

[lawdog]

WOOOOOO HOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

WAY TO GO TWINS!!!!

[riverrat56]

Eight years is a long time, a huge commitment for both parties and I'm not sure entirely necessary.

While I agree that his durability is a concern, would we have been able to sign him to a shorter contract? I'm sure #7 wanted something of this length.

[JBMasterAngler]

I'd rank Pujols ahead of Mauer before "a-roid". Now that we got a team, and nathan is out, our chances of beating the yanks have just improved greatly!

[SpitnArgueDuckClub*]

Crazy #'s in money, when will it stop or even slow down? Cripes remember when Kirby was the first to get 1 million a year!?!?! Unfortunately all of this gets passed on down to us the fans to make up in ticket prices.

[Barony]

Just wait. In 4 years, it'll be Joe Mauer and the b-squad. Spending 1/4 of the payroll on 1 player is not a good recipe for organizational success, see KG. What's it going to cost to keep the 1st baseman around in a couple of years?

I also understand the mutiny that would have taken place if they would not have signed him.

[Snag]

I can't believe the Pohlads didn't trade him for a few minor leaguers, a player to be named later and some cash.

[SledNeck]

Smart move by the Twins

Joe Mauer is a RICH man!

[Canon Guy]

Crazy #'s in money, when will it stop or even slow down? Cripes remember when Kirby was the first to get 1 million a year!?!?! Unfortunately all of this gets passed on down to us the fans to make up in ticket prices.

Kirby was actually the first to get 3 million a year.

[zepman]

Just wait. In 4 years, it'll be Joe Mauer and the b-squad. Spending 1/4 of the payroll on 1 player is not a good recipe for organizational success, see KG. What's it going to cost to keep the 1st baseman around in a couple of years?

I also understand the mutiny that would have taken place if they would not have signed him.

Totally agree...this extension means nothing unless the Twins CONTINUE to spend their $$$ on keeping the team competitive. Mauer and a bunch of minor leaguers just won't cut it. Twins have done a great job this off-season signing and aquiring players...let's hope this is a trend rather than a one year splurge.

[solbes]

GREAT signing, now we can move onward without distraction. We just need Joe to be healthy thoughout the 8 years or we will be in trouble.

[rayguy]

No one stays healthy in pro ball for eight years, more so when they hit there 30's. They just handcuffed themselves big time with the no trade contract. Granted he is a top player but one with a bad knee and back already. And there are few catchers who last ten+ years.

[TR21HP]

As silly as it sounds, this is probably a good deal. Salaries aren't going to go down and to get a player of this caliber tied up for that time is good for the Twins, besides the added revenue the new ballpark is going to bring will soften that amount of money. They have already sold more tickets as of today than all of last year, that and coupled with food revenues and tv revenues will help. But it is ridiculous that players get paid that much - comes out to 142,000 a game -Wow.

[PierBridge]

I can't believe it I thought for sure he was going to the Yankee's.

Now that Joe has signed with us proving it's clear he doesn't want to WIN where do we go from here?...

[Coach1310]

Yeah... it is a TON of $$$$. It is really hard to criticize the Pohlads... If you don't sign him or trade him, the public uproar would be insane and now that you do, some folks worry that they will never be able to afford enough players to win a World Series....

Hopefully not to jinx it, but Mauer is about the safest bet in all of pro sports... sure he plays catcher and gets beat up, but even if he has to move to first or third he is still the #1 or #2 hitter in all of baseball, depending on who you ask. Not to mention one of the most humble and professional guys in all of sports. Great move by the Twins.... somewhere down the line, if the club needs a little extra cash to get a player to put them over the top, no doubt in my mind that Joe restructures to make it happen.

He wants to be here, he will always want to be here and we will win a World Series with him here!