Is he worth it?

The Twins have done the right thing and signed their franchise player, Joe Mauer, to a massive deal that will keep him in town for nearly a decade. In fact, the two sides agreed to an eight-year, $184 million deal. To put that in perspective, if your annual salary was $50,000, it would take you 460 years to earn what Mauer will make in one. Kind of sad, isn’t it? Then you also have to consider that he has winters off.

So, the question now is: Is he worth it? Out of all the players in baseball, I’d say that Mauer is the most worth a megadeal, especially when you consider what he means for the Minnesota franchise.

Along with Albert Pujols, he is one of the best hitters in the game. Unlike Pujols, he plays at a premium position, catcher. Most teams are happy getting a guy who can hit for a decent average, play average defence and generally hold the line. To have one of the best hitters in the game play a position that typically bats in the eight-hole, that’s as big of a bonus as you can get.

Mauer, who’s near the peak of his career at 27, has already won an MVP award, two gold gloves and three batting titles – unheard of from a catcher. He has a career batting average of .327 with 72 home runs and 397 RBIs. Last season he was downright incredible, capturing his MVP after missing the first month of the season. How many guys have done that?

Another big question now is: What will Pujols get from St. Louis when he becomes a free agent? Mauer didn’t do Fat Albert any favours by taking a hometown discount. While Pujols has bigger career numbers, he also plays in the inferior of the Major Leagues. St. Louis now can make a case for slightly low-balling their initial offer, but don’t expect Albert to take the same kind of discount that Mauer did.