Mauer, Twins agree to $184 million deal

Recession? What recession?

In a win-win-win deal that all parties desperately wanted, catcher extraordinaire Joe Mauer agreed to an 8-year, $184 million deal on Sunday.

The fourth-largest deal in baseball history is a big deal for all fans living in and around the Twin Cities. Mauer, a local prodigy, is revered as almost a cult figure and letting him go to the Red Sox or Yankees would have soured the Minnesota fan base.

Ironically, the announcement came on the same day that the club announced star reliever Joe Nathan will undergo Tommy John surgery and miss all of the 2010 season.

Does Mauer deserve $184 million in this economy? That can be largely debated. But considering it was widely known that Mauer had a strong desire to stay with the Twins, $23 million seems a little steep on a mid-market team.

Although the Twins are moving into new Target Field this year, which should provide additional revenue streams for years to come.

And yes, Mauer is an absolute hitting stud, a career .327 hitter, who ran away with the batting tile with a .365 average last year, while launching a stunning 28 home runs despite not playing all of April.

Still, 2009 was by far a career year for Mauer, who had never hit more than 13 home runs in any other season. Plus, he's battled injuries throughout his early career and at 6-foot-5 with quad issues, Mauer may end up being forced to switch to first or third base, somewhat minimizing his value as a catcher.

But I applaud the Twins for not being cheap, for locking up their homegrown star. It's a rarity in this day and age.

Fantasy spin: Ouch on the Nathan news. Not that it's surprising. Jon Rauch, who has closed for 40 innings, has to be the front-runner to take over, but Pat Neshek isn't a bad late-round option. As far as Mauer's prospects, it's hard to believe he's suddenly a 35-HR guy after no signs of this his previous five major league seasons. The average will always anchor your team and he's clearly the best catching option, but think low 20's in the power department when you're drafting this year. He'll probably go for low-to-mid $30-dollar range in auction drafts. Late first or early second should be the earliest you'd consider him in conventional drafts, unless you have strong Minnesota ties, in which case, take him first overall and enjoy the ride. Why not.