No he's not. A full no-trade clause is specifically a player's dream. It means that a team shouldn't even bother talking to another team about that player unless they've gotten the "Okay" from that player first. It basically means that Mauer can dictate wherever he winds up when he chooses to leave. So, for argument's sake, let's say in 4 years the Mets offer their entire AAA team in exchange, and the Yankees offer Brett Gardner plus a gift certificate to Chuck E. Cheese. If Mauer says "I wanna win a title" he's headed for the Bronx, and the Twins front office is off to play skee-ball. Unless there's a marked decline in his skills, you can bank on Mauer not being a Twin in 5 years.
<----another Yankee fan: Sorry Jake and any other Met fans laying claim to some silly (and false) "I wanna kill myself!" consensus among Yankee fans, but, I never expected it and further, I am glad the Twins will open their new ballpark with their marquee player in the fold. Good job Twins and kudos to Mauer for not holding them up.
I'm not a Mets fan. I don't even watch baseball aside from the world series and what I hear on sports radio
Joe Mauer...The best player in the game. As a yankee fan I am happy to see him stay with his hometown. The Twins need him more then the Rockies needed Todd Helton. Mauer is the type of baseball player I want my kid one day to play baseball...
Yankee fan here. Few things.... 1. Mauer isn't just from Minnesota, he is Minnesota. He grew up 15 minutes away from the Metrodome. The guy was aJunior Natoional team from sophmore to senior year and all state in baseball, basketball, and football junior and senior years. He was offered a football scholarship to Minnesota, where he would have been the QB with Laurence Maroney & Marion Barber. The whole state has been rooting for this guy once he graduated high school and were hoping he would either become a Golden Gopher, a Viking, or a Twin. 2. Target Field opens up this year. They needed to pay him becuase he's worth the money, and because the entire fanbase was demanding it, and if they didn't they wouldnt sell tickets. This isn't the same "Pay Cribbs" because the kid is from Kent State and playing in Ohio. It is much bigger. I don't know how many of you have been out there, but Mauer is king. He could run for Governor out there right now and win. Look at it like this, if the Yankees let Jeter walk next year, the majority of fans will be pissed. Absolutley. But would we not go to games? No, we would continue buying tickets and cheering for our Yankees. If the Twins let Minnesota's Golden Child walk, this would create a huge rift between the organization and the fan base. People would stop going to games. You would see greatly reduced ticket sales. People would be pissed not because they lost a superstar, but because they lost their superstar. He truly is one of Minnesota's own. You can't underestimate what that means to the people of Minnesota. 3. Y'all talk as if they are a bottom of the rung team. The AL Central fluctuates every year. The Indians & Royals are doing nothing this year which leaves the White Sox & the Tigers, two teams that the Twins played in one game playoffs last two years. How many of you actually watched the ALDS this year against the Yankees? Did you forget they were winning 3-1 going into the bottom of the ninth? Or that they had the bases loaded with no outs before Dave Robertson pulled out the best inning of his life? In Game 3, fucking Pavano was pitching a gem against the Yanks and the Twins could have won. Terrible officiating in that series, which ultimately benefited New York moreso than the Twins. Losing Nathan for the year hurts them, but the Twins still have a good roster with a bunch of sluggers and solid pitching, and can definetly win that division. As well all know, once you get into the playoffs anything can happen. 4. The way the deal is setup, Mauer can basically opt out if he isn't feeling it anymore. Yes there is a trade clause in the contract, but let's be serious, there are only two teams that would be able to handle that type of money, the Sox and the Yanks. By showing Mauer the money, the Twins are A. Giving the gans what they want, B. putting people in the seats, C. giving Twins fans a few years to decide whats more important, winning games or watching their boy establish a Hall of Fame career. You'll probably see a mix of the two. If the Twins do end up trading him after a few losing seasons, they have elimnated the resent they would face for just letting him walk away, and the resent Mauer would face from the people from Minnesota for just leaving them. It's a win-win pretty much. But if the Twins do somehow end up winning the World Series with Mauer on the squad, best believe there will be a Joe Mauer Day in Minnesota for years to come. They love him out there. Not to say we wouldn't love him here in the Bronx:smile: Different type of attachment though I suppose.
