This could be a big one for the little guys.
If, in fact, Joe Mauer signs a long-term contract extension with the Minnesota Twins, this will be a good thing not only for the Twins, but for baseball, the sport.
During the recent kickoff of TwinsFest, manager Ron Gardenhire said on the topic of Mauer's extension: "I think everybody knows what needs to get done here. From our owners to our general manager to our fan base, we all know what everybody wants. It is right out there for us, and I think they'll make it happen."
That kind of confidence is unusual in a case such as this. The history of free agency at the highest level of spending is a history of the migration of the best, most expensive players, who leave small-market teams and even medium-market teams and go to the wealthiest teams.
And Joe Mauer is not merely among the best players. In 2009, his best offensive season, he led the American League in hitting, on-base percentage and slugging percentage. All of this came after he missed the first month of the season with a lower-back inflammation. And he was a Gold Glove catcher.
That combination of hitting prowess and mastery of one of the most difficult defensive positions makes him, at this moment, perhaps the best player in the AL. This is a subjective call, but Mauer's performance has brought it steadily closer to objective reality.
And he will turn 27 in April. He could become even better, if that is humanly possible. In 2010, Mauer will be in the final year of a four-year, $33 million contract. So he would obviously be going to the Yankees, as the successor to Jorge Posada. Or, perhaps he would go to the Red Sox. Jason Varitek is being nudged aside and Victor Martinez could move to first base. Or he could go to the Mets, who need a top-shelf catcher, among other commodities.
But one way or another, Mauer typically would be headed off to a bigger market, a franchise with deeper pockets. This would be business as usual.
But in this case, there might be an upset victory for the little guys on the horizon. Mauer is not merely playing in his baseball home. He is a St. Paul, Minn., native. He got batting tips in his formative years from another St. Paul fellow, Paul Molitor. The comfort level cannot get much higher.
The Twins' ability to pay will never resemble that of the Yankees, but their financial prospects will improve starting this season with the move into their new ballpark, Target Field. The Metrodome offered a big home-field advantage against visiting clubs who had perennial difficulty becoming acclimated to the idiosyncrasies of the place. But it was not an economic advantage. If you persevere through the long Minnesota winter, when summer does appear, you might not want to spend your recreational hours under a giant roof.
The other argument that is always used against small-market franchises in these cases is that if you play for the Yankees, each and every year you will have a chance to win everything. And it is true that 13 of the past 14 seasons the Yankees have reached the postseason. But playing for the Twins does not mean that you are frozen out of the playoffs.
The Twins have won the AL Central five times in the past eight years. This is a remarkable record for a small-market franchise, but then, this is a remarkable franchise. The Twins have done the things that are absolutely necessary for a team in their circumstances, focusing on scouting and player development. They have been both astute and diligent. They have been a model franchise.
That won't change when they take their home games outdoors. The Twins should continue to be a highly competitive team. Winning a World Series with this franchise is not a pipe dream. It is simply a matter of taking one of those postseason opportunities and advancing with it.
The Twins have seen the other side of this coin, witnessing one of the game's best pitchers, Johan Santana, and their center fielder and spiritual core of the team, Torii Hunter, depart for bigger offers. But keeping Joe Mauer, a once-in-a-generation player, would be a tremendous step forward for the Twins.
It would also be an encouraging example for other franchises in similar financial circumstances. It would mean that the franchise player does not have to leave for a larger franchise. It would mean that competitive balance can be a reality, rather than rhetoric.
It would be in that sense, good for baseball in general, although it might not be specifically good for the usual suspects, the deep-pocket franchises that hoped to add a player of Mauer's unique stature.
As Ron Gardenhire put it:
"I think the right thing is going to happen. I think we all know the ramifications if something weren't to happen and it were to go the other way. That wouldn't be a good thing for anybody, except for maybe some clubs out east."
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