The Pricey Mitt of Mauer
Posted by Corey Seidman, Sun, March 21, 2010 06:10 PM | Comments: 37
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Twenty-one years and nine days ago, Carlton Fisk signed a one-year/$1.3 million contract, making him the highest-paid catcher in American League history. Sunday, the sports world took a brief detour from a wacky NCAA tournament when word surfaced that the Twins’ Joe Mauer did the same.
Only, Mauer’s record-breaking deal is worth $184 million and spans eight years. The average annual salary of the agreement is $23M, which Mauer will reportedly earn in an equal amount each season, with no front-loading or back-loading. It also includes a full no-trade clause.
The length and salary of the deal are unprecedented. It will make Mauer the highest-paid catcher in the history of Major League Baseball, with the next-closest competition being nearly one-hundred million dollars less – Mike Piazza earned $91 million with the Mets from 1999-2005.
Before Sunday, Jorge Posada was the game’s highest-paid backstop, earning $13.1M per season in a pact that ends after the 2011 season.
The Twins, a notoriously frugal organization, have allowed stars like Johan Santana and Torii Hunter to walk in recent years via free agency and an inability to open the checkbook. Since 2000, the team’s highest payroll in a single season was $71 millon; the Phillies have topped that number six times over the past nine years.
However, extending Mauer, a Saint Paul product, was a necessity. All things considered, he will likely go down as the best player in team history. Prior to 2006, no catcher had ever won an American League batting title. Since that time, Mauer has won three.
At his position, Mauer is an incomparable offensive threat and an above-average fielder in terms of holding runners in check. He has thrown out 38% of would-be base stealers in his career en route to two Gold Gloves (if you’re into meaningless defensive awards that only truly go to good offensive players.)
Eight years/184 million dollars is a huge investment for any team to make and it carries significant risk, given the rapid deterioration and decline that catchers face. In the crouch, knees take a beating, which, more often than not, results in worse baserunning and offensive output. Mauer, though, is built differently than most catchers – his 6’5, 225 lb. frame gives him the look of a player who could succeed anywhere on the diamond.
Keep in mind, this is the American League we’re talking about. Mauer can potentially be DH’ed on occasion for protection, and if, by year eight of the deal, he can no longer effectively field his position, a move to first base (if Justin Morneau is no longer a roadblock) or full-time designated hitter would be likely.
Simply put, Mauer’s other-wordly offensive prowess makes the record-breaking contract a sound investment, whether or not he mans the plate for the duration of it.
Chooch > Mauer
The lone flaw of Mauer’s game is his average-to-below average ability to block balls in the dirt, an area in which our beloved Chooch excels, as evidenced by his 2nd and 3rd place finishes found here. (Courtesy of Beyond the Boxscore, with an additional thanks to Bill Baer of Crashburn Alley for the link.) Defensive metrics which measure a catcher’s ability to block balls are few and far between, with these lists being an early attempt. While they appear valid in terms of results, this is not a “be-all, end-all” compilation.
(Just kidding on the sub-head…or am I?)
Posts: 0 Bill Baer
Here’s that list for catchers blocking pitches in the dirt:
http://www.beyondtheboxscore.com/2009/12/21/1208572/2009-catcher-block-percentage
Ruiz: 3rd according to Turkenkopf; 2nd according to Pavlidis
Mauer: average according to Turk; below average according to Pavlidis
Posted: 07:02 PM on March 21, 2010
Posts: 0 Sean
What does this have to do with the phils, i miss when Tim was on this site and it was straight phillies. now i have to sort through everything to find important things about the phils. i miss you tim
Posted: 07:12 PM on March 21, 2010
Posts: 293 Corey Seidman
When a player signs the biggest deal ever recorded at his position, it’s news.
When an article includes a stat that favors Carlos Ruiz considerably over Joe Mauer, its news.
Posted: 07:28 PM on March 21, 2010
Posts: 0 Ed R.
There is nothing going on with the Phillies today, they lost to the Orioles, big deal.
This is something worth reading about in my opinion.
It’s spring training for heaven sakes, 99% of the roster is already decided, there really is nothing to talk about.
Mauer resigning with the Twins is a big deal. It means he won’t be a Met, Red Sox or Yank.
I wonder if Morneau will be back after his contract ends?
Posted: 07:41 PM on March 21, 2010
Posts: 0 BurrGundy
I agree all the way around……I believe the signing Mauer is very relevant and that he really may be the most valuable player in baseball for many years to come. Albert Pujols is also right up there and very interested in this signing, so is Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and John Mayberry (kidding).
Moreover, I also miss Tim Malcolm. He was always a heavy contributor with knowledgeable and interesting insight.
Posted: 08:29 PM on March 21, 2010
Posts: 0 John
As catchers go, I would have to agree that Chooch is one of the leagues best defensively and at working with his pitchers. I’ve always felt that good catching makes good pitching even better. I’m happy for Mauer, from all I’ve seen he’s a class act that has a great relationship with teammates and is obviously other-worldly gifted with a bat. I do think a position switch for him would be prudent though, especially considering Joe has already dealt with his share of injury. With that kind of deal, you certainly want to prolong the start of his decline as much as possible. I think a switch to first is very likely once Morneau’s contract is up.
Nice work Corey — there actually are people out here who enjoy more about baseball than just the Phils!
Posted: 09:19 PM on March 21, 2010
Posts: 0 Dan S
i love chooch but i would take mauer over ruiz any day
Posted: 10:39 PM on March 21, 2010
Posts: 0 WFC010
There’s no doubt that Mauer is by far the best offensive catcher, quite possibly of all time too!
But he’s really nothing all that special defensively, and the glove is more important than the bat when being a catcher. Would I love to see a guy like Mauer with the Phillies? sure, but I think he’d probably be better as a 1st basemen which is an easier defensive position.
Posted: 11:51 PM on March 21, 2010
Posts: 0 Bill Baer
Mauer would lose a lot of his value if he moved to first base. At the very least, he’d lose 1.5 WAR (+0.5 to 1.0 for being a catcher; -1 to 1.3 for being a first baseman), and he’s been worth 5.3 WAR on average over the past five seasons. Knocking 1.5-2.3 WAR off of that (down to 3.0 WAR) would make him about as valuable as Shane Victorino was in 2007.
Posted: 05:30 AM on March 22, 2010
Posts: 0 bfo_33
Defensively, he’s a little above average. He’s 1 of 4 catchers in baseball that is above average in any offensive category (was in the O’s Weiters article in sports illustrated – forget the details, but the only others were Weiters, McCann, and Posada). He’s also the hometown hero.
With that said, it’s a huge risk to have your best hitter at catcher – esp with a long term deal. Anyone can get injured, but catchers take a beating, few play well into their 30s. The Twins had to do this deal, and I’m happy Mauer stayed there (see Ed R above), but they are probably getting 4 years of a great catcher, 4 years of a good offensive 1b/DH.
A very relevant post, gives an indication of the market, and shows some guys aren’t all about the money (along with Doc). I realize it is hard to call $180M a discount, but tell that to A Rod.
Posted: 06:44 AM on March 22, 2010
Posts: 0 WFC010
There’s a very good reason that catchers generally have shorter careers than players at other positions: your body really takes a beating, and you are often quite prone to knee or other injuries. Just look at the careers of our own Phormer Phillies Daulton and Lieberthal, and both of them were quite lucky to have careers which lasted over a decade with all of the injuries they both had. Heck, Daulton even had to switch positions in his last few seasons. Leiberthal remained a catcher, but he was only a backup catcher for his last season.
Posted: 08:10 AM on March 22, 2010
Posts: 0 Manny
I know Mauer is awesome.. but that contract was HUGE! He has an insance career batting average but that kinda money is what 35+ HR, 120+ RBIs hitters get… and he’s never even had a 100 RBI season nor ever hit 30 home runs… Obviously, he’s a catcher and will not play as many games as other guys, but STILL, that’s partly why he shouldn’t get paid THAT much! 23 million guys, for 8 years!! Hefty, hefty, hefty.
Nevermind that the guy still is super young (26!)
Posted: 09:27 AM on March 22, 2010
Posts: 0 Phylan
The thing is, none of those statistics really capture Mauer’s value. Just because he doesn’t have the HRs or RBI you’re looking for doesn’t mean he doesn’t have tremendous power — he posted a SLG of .587 last year, isolated power .222 (league average on that is around .150, it’s just SLG-AVG). And even more importantly, he gets on base like crazy — career .408 OBP with .382, .413, and .444 from 2007 to 2009 respectively.
Posted: 09:51 AM on March 22, 2010
Posts: 0 Chuck
Age 26 and three batting titles???? Yeah, the true BIG power numbers aren’t there as Manny says….but THREE BATTING TITLES at his young age…
Carlos Ruiz is one of my favorite Phillies…if not my favorite…..but I’d take Mauer in a HEARTBEAT (hypothetically speaking).
This may seem like a crazy contract….especially for the “frugal” Twins….but remember….they’re opening a brand new ballpark this year…so this is kinda like “The House That Mauer Built.”
Given his age…and what he has already done….and what else he can possibly do….I think the Twins were smart to lock him up like this.
Posted: 10:35 AM on March 22, 2010
Posts: 0 WFC010
Sometimes teams have to overpay to keep their franchise players from leaving, especially when that player is as good as Mauer is.
The Phillies probably only have about 2 “franchise” players that I think have a good chance of retiring here: Utley and Rollins, and both of them have been huge bargains with their current contracts. Who knows how much they’ll ask for when it comes time to extend them?
Whatever the price though, I imagine that the front office will dish it out.
Posted: 11:50 AM on March 22, 2010
Posts: 0 Don M
Mauer is nasty, and was looking at a $200+ M contract as a Free Agent . . . so this is somewhat of a “hometown discount”
…
The Phillies play.. . . . . BASEBALL . . . . so we should talk about baseball, and not pretend that “The Phillies” is its own sport.. knowledge of what goes on around the league is very important
This alone might drive Ryan Howard’s $25 M per year ideas away. . . Contracts are starting to come down a little bit (A-Rod, Soriano, etc)…
Posted: 12:09 PM on March 22, 2010
Posts: 0 Chuck
Yeah, and besides, the Phillies and the comparison to Ruiz WERE mentioned in Corey’s article…..
So, Sean, even if you want articles to be about the Phillies and nothing else….this WAS about the Phillies.
——-
If anyone hasn’t done it yet….for a few laughs check out the post this morning on http://www.thefightins.com
“Hamles” “Howadr”
Posted: 12:20 PM on March 22, 2010
Posts: 0 Phylan
Totally agree with Don M, it’s actually weird to see in the comments sections of so many blogs how passionate some people are about the Phillies and yet not interested in all the other great baseball out there.
Posted: 12:35 PM on March 22, 2010
Posts: 0 WFC010
I think it’s just because some Phillies fans get angry whenever a good player not on our team gets discussed, but I think that mindset is getting pretty dated, since the Phillies actually ARE a really good team right now with many good players. Why remain ignorant about what the other teams have, or how they are doing?
We shouldn’t act like we’re jealous of every team anymore, this isn’t the late 90′s dark ages anymore.
Posted: 12:57 PM on March 22, 2010
Posts: 0 Don M
Can someone with more knowledge than me explain this …
Moyer was/is said to have the inside track at the 5th spot in the rotation “in large part due to the $8 M the Phillies owe him this season… want to get their money’s worth, etc..”
…
This is what I don’t get.. maybe never have, maybe never will
We are paying him $8 M this year, REGARDLESS of what his role is, right?? So why wouldn’t slot the best possible pitcher in the 5th spot (could even actually be Moyer). . . The same way they kept pitching Eaton because “they were paying him $x” . . . you are paying the guy regardless.. that shouldn’t factor in as to who gets the most playing time on your team.
The contracts and salaries are OFF FIELD issues… the guys that give you the best chance to win each game should be the ones ON THE FIELD
???
Yea, holler? …or negaitve?
Posted: 01:15 PM on March 22, 2010
Posts: 0 Chuck
This may sound strange to some….and I’m sure I’ll be blasted for it…
But I’m a baseball fan first. Then a Phillies fan.
Because to be a good fan of whatever team you root for ….in whatever sport…..it’s important to be a fan of that sport….and have knowledge of it. It makes you a BETTER fan of the team you support.
Posted: 01:16 PM on March 22, 2010
Posts: 0 Phylan
Don M, I think the notion is that, since he’s getting the money anyway, why not see if we can recoup some value from it? It’s not the worst idea — give him a short leash and if he has two or three bad starts it’s not going to tank the season.
Posted: 01:19 PM on March 22, 2010
Posts: 0 Don M
In my mind, they need to think of that money as “already gone” . . .
you’re paying the guys what you’re paying them… like if Ibanez sucks this year.. and Francisco is tearing the cover off the ball, I want to see Francisco play more to maximize your chances to win games..
not to see how much value we can stretch from Ibanez…
..
Moyer wasn’t good enough at the end of last year.. just had a few surgeries… Kendrick was better last year, and looks even better than THAT right now
He gives you a better chance to win baseball games, so he should be that 5th starter, in my opinion
Posted: 01:22 PM on March 22, 2010
Posts: 0 Chuck
Well…..I don’t have more knowledge than you….so I won’t attempt to come up with an answer…
I agree with you that the salary thing in relation to the playing time SHOULDN’T be a factor.
My thinking is that Moyer could be just as valuable coming in out of the pen……helping the Phillies win games……and so that $8M would be TOTALLY worth it.
But after yesterday’s performance, Moyer COULD be a pretty effective starter.
Posted: 01:23 PM on March 22, 2010
Posts: 0 WFC010
All that I ask is that Moyer goes where he will be the most effective, be that as a starter or out of the bullpen.
The money is already spent regardless of where we put him, so he should be put where he will help us the most.
Kendrick is a guy that many fans had given up on, so I am really rooting on him surprising the hell out of some people in regular season games.
There was a time a few years back when we all thought Kendrick could slot as high as #2 in the rotation, and now everyone seems to think being the #5 is the best case scenario for him. Really, I want to see if his new mini-Roy persona is for real or a mirage, but i’m really hoping he can shock everyone.
Happ too for that matter still has a lot to prove, and i’d like nothing more than to see him have a year that’s anywhere CLOSE to last years.
Posted: 01:42 PM on March 22, 2010
Posts: 0 Don M
Kendrick came out of nowhere… threw strikes… and had Gold Glove defense played behind him when he first came up
Once people started to figure out that he was a one-pitch pitcher.. he started getting rocked, as he failed to make adjustments..
He’s worked hard.. and now has developed 4? pitches, that he can throw in all situations. I see big things for him this year.. but I’m wondering if these new adjustments can then be altered once hitters figure them out ? (if that makes any sense)
Whatever changes he just made to make him effective… he’ll need to keep making changes as the year/his career goes along
I wonder if he can do that? … I don’t think he’ll ever be a #2 pitcher.. because he tends to pitch to contact.. but I think he could be a solid back-rotation starter now . . . .whereas last year, I saw him as a starter only for crappy teams (Royals, Pirates, etc)
Posted: 02:06 PM on March 22, 2010
Posts: 0 Chuck
When you think about it…..they ALL have a lot to prove….except for Roy. (Although HE thinks he needs to prove himself every pitch he throws).
Don’s right. You want to “maximize your chances to win games”….whether it’s at pitcher, outfielder, wherever.
Problem is …..teams don’t do that as much as maybe they should.
Posted: 02:19 PM on March 22, 2010
Posts: 0 Chuck
I see Hamels having to do the same thing….constantly making adjustments to stay effective. That’s why it was good that he’s been working on “other” pitches.
Some guys can make adjustments within the game they’re in….They are the truly great pitchers.
Guys like Kendrick may not have that same ability to adjust so quickly…..so that’s why they probably will never be #1s or #2s.
But if Kendrick can be an effective #5….and be fairly consistent…..then that’s great.
Posted: 02:24 PM on March 22, 2010
Posts: 0 WFC010
What I would really love to see is us having 4-5 different starters that we can feel confident enough in, that we can throw any of them in the playoffs and expect to have at least a winnable game.
Can we have that? I sure hope so…but only time will tell.
Posted: 02:33 PM on March 22, 2010
Posts: 0 Manny
Great points on Mauer, Phylan…
This guy is definitely the real deal.
But I’ll still think he didn’t give a hometown discount at all (doesn’t he want his team for the next 8 years to be competitive or is a few million here and there gonna be that life changing for him when he’s already a multimillionaire??)
In any case, back to one of my points: he won’t play 150-160 games per season like Ryan Howard, but more like 120-140… The money you are paying him per game (or what you expect him to contribute) is definitely wayyy more than what you pay for one day of Howard (maybe even for one day of Pujols if he ends up making something around 25-26 million per year)! Not having Mauer in your Twins lineup for at least 20 games during the regular season –if healthy!!– has a cost.
I’m glad to see that the Twins could hold on to Mauer, and I agree that this the guy they want to build the franchise around… but I was expecting something less than 23 million dollars per year!! Yikes.
Posted: 02:58 PM on March 22, 2010
Posts: 0 Chuck
Usually I would be totally against a contract like this. But, the more I keep thinking about it, the Twins not only HAD to do this….but will be better off for having done so.
This guy has AMAZING ability….and has proven his worth, as far as I’m concerned.
I have a feeling too, that he’ll play closer to 140 games…not 120. So, Manny, I get your “per game” value thing. But, I don’t think that he misses more than something like 20 games. As he gets older, that may be more of a factor. But DHing him here and there or playing him at 1st keeps his bat in the lineup…..and gives him a bit of a rest now and then.
Posted: 03:18 PM on March 22, 2010
Posts: 0 Don M
to the criticism of Mauer not granting “much” of a hometown discount . . .
and “is a few million here and there gonna be that life changing for him when he’s already a multimillionaire??”
…
Is “a few million her and there” really the difference between whether or not the Twins can be competitive over the next 8 years?
I doubt it.. they’ve got a good club.. they’ll have increased revenue coming in with the new stadium.. which means new money, new sponsors.. etc.
Joe Mauer could’ve and would’ve gotten a lot more than 8 years, $184 Million if he hit the Free Agent market.. He took a deal that is “fair” for both sides.. and generally reflects that contracts are starting to come down just a little bit. I don’t think anyone saw him getting a deal for less than $25 M per year, so its a good move by the Twins too, to save that $16 M
Posted: 04:23 PM on March 22, 2010
Posts: 0 Chuck
It just SEEMS like it’s “not much of a hometown discount”…..because how many 8 year contracts do we see? ….and how many deals approaching $200M?
It’s a lot of money….a FREAKING lot of money.
But, yeah, I agree….it’s a fair deal for both Mauer and the Twins…..and I have a pretty good feeling that at the end of the deal the Twins are going to be VERY happy that they locked him up like they did.
Posted: 04:34 PM on March 22, 2010
Posts: 0 WFC010
I still think it’s a risk to offer so many years to a catcher, even one as good as Mauer is. You don’t just have to worry about if he’ll be able to play catcher for 8 years, but if he’ll even be able to play ANY position for 8 years. He gets injured badly enough, and he may have his legs so screwed up, he’ll practically be hobbling around. That isn’t a knock on Mauer, just the reality of what it’s like to be a catcher.
Posted: 04:35 PM on March 22, 2010
Posts: 0 PhxPhilly
I think this ties back to the Moyer/Kendrick discussion as well. Players are supposed to win games but they are also assets to each team. Trying to maximize winning each singular game without protecting your assets is a poor strategy in my opinion.
That is why you see significantly different strategy (specifically with the high priced and high risk position of pitcher) in the post season.
Now that Mauer is locked in for 8 years it makes more sense to rest him over the ‘long haul’ and see if he can play mostly catcher for all 8 years. Posada and Victor Martinez are in that territory now. He will probably catch 120 games (and be replaced if possible in late innings) and DH another 30.
Moyer is most likely best used as a starter. If he is released the Phillies have no backup option if another starter goes down. Kendrick can probably be more effective than Moyer in the pen but also has more value as a starter. Kendrick also has options. Having Moyer pitch earlier in the season and Kendrick get less innings may mean Kendrick is stronger for the second half and allows him to replace and injured starter and keep Moyer on his normal schedule.
The key problem I see with not awarding Kendrick with the 5th Starter is if he takes it as the team not rewarding his hard work and then he decides to give up on the season. Since Kendrick is an asset beyond 2010 you want him to develop as best as possible while still winning games. Not necessarily an easy thing to do.
Posted: 08:59 PM on March 23, 2010
Posts: 0 Bet Baseball Club » Blog Archive » Boston Red Sox Sneak Peak!
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Posted: 05:27 PM on March 25, 2010
Posts: 0 pu erh
Good
Posted: 03:58 PM on July 30, 2010