Mauer, Twins Having Productive Talks

Joe Mauer, the 26 year old MVP backstop with a career .408 OBP, is entering the final season of a $33m/4-year contract. Teams the league over have begun salivating in anticipation of his hitting free agency, but the Twins have little intention of letting that happen, and according to Bob Nightengale, the two sides are making good progress in talks of an extension:

twins manager ron gardenhire says talks with joe mauer couldn't be going better.

It would be massive upset if Mauer contract extension isn't resolved by spring.

Mauer, of course, is a local kid and fan favorite who just happens to be coming off arguably the greatest season by a catcher of all time. He led or was close to the lead in every meaningful offensive category, and while some regression is to be expected going forward, he is easily the best backstop in baseball, and bringing him back would set in place a massive piece of Minnesota's future foundation.

As this story develops, you can follow along at Twins blog Twinkie Town.