Questions Have Been Answered

There is just one week until the Twins open their season at Angels’ stadium, and two weeks until they officially open their new home at Target Field. It’s all so close I can smell it… Oh, no that’s the garbage incinerator next door to Target Field, sorry. With things so close, the two questions that had been on far too many people’s minds have been answered in all the obvious ways.


1) Will Joe Nathan be able to pitch this season? If he can’t who will be the closer?

Nathan played his first game of catch since hearing that he had a torn ulnar ligament on March 21. He ultimately had no choice but to undergo season ending Tommy John surgery on Friday. This, no matter how unfortunate was really no surprise to me and hopefully not much of a surprise to many other people as well. The procedure was said to go well and Nathan is hoping to be able to make his return to the team next year for the 2011 season.

This however forced the Twins to announce Sunday they would be using the closer- by-committee approach with the players that they already have, which as I’ve said earlier is the best option that the Twins have at the moment. They can always see how everything pans out and then talk about trades. They don’t have to stick to one thing for the entire season.


2) Will Joe Mauer sign a long term deal with the Twins?

On Sunday, the Twins announced that they and Mauer had agreed to an eight-year, $184 million dollar contract (the fourth biggest in MLB history). This too was something that was obviously going to happen. Mauer is the 2009 American League MVP, three-time batting champion, two –time gold glove winner, and three-time All Star. However even if his resume isn’t taken into consideration the Twins still really had no choice but to sign Mauer for the long term. Being a St. Paul native, he’s loved by the entire Twins Territory which reaches over most of the states bordering Minnesota. Letting him go would be deemed unforgivable by these dedicated people. The last thing the Twins should want to do is piss off fans just a year after opening controversial Target Field. Instead they wisely decided to put a little warmth in the fan’s hearts before introducing them in the bitter cold they’ll be living with for years to come.

Although it was an obvious choice for the Twins, I still have to question Mauer on this move. Yes, he’ll be making a whole lot of money and yes he’ll get to stay in his hometown for the remainder of his career (or at least most of it). But will he have wasted his career on a team that will never get him a World Series ring? In my opinion, Joe Mauer is far too talented to not win at least one World Series, after all that is the reason that most, if not all athletes compete in sports, to win. So, until the Twins do win it all (another play-off appearance resulting in the Twins being swept won’t do), I will feel that Mauer has wasted his career.