CHICAGO - The Twins wanted to sign Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau and Michael Cuddyer to long-term contracts during the offseason. Then, while looking ahead to the big revenues the new stadium will bring, they talked openly about extending the contracts of closer Joe Nathan and uber lefthander Johan Santana.
After negotiating throughout the offseason with agents for these players, the Twins went 1-for-5. Mauer is signed, so their offseason looks, frankly, unfulfilling.
Now that the regular season has begun, there's an alleged club policy against negotiating deals during the regular season. It's to ensure that the focus is on returning to the playoffs for the fifth time in the last six seasons.
Well, policy schmolicy. The Twins are no different from other teams in occasionally saying one thing then doing another.
This is the same franchise that had policy banning facial hair in the 1980s. Bert Blyleven let his beard grow out in 1985 because he was slumping with the shaved look. When he was threatened with a fine, he replied: "Do you want me to pitch well?" In 1987, the club was so desperate for a closer that they traded for bearded righthander Jeff Reardon. Then there was the Rick Aguilera era.
As for contract negotiations, don't think for a second that the Twins will wait until after the season to rekindle talks with Santana and Nathan. (Morneau and Cuddyer might be a different story because they're not free agents after 2008 like Santana and Nathan). One high-ranking club official has indicated that the policy will be ignored.
Santana will make $13 million this season and $13.25 million next. He's happy in the Twin Cities and would like to stay. But he was frank way back in January when he said: "I'm in no hurry. At the same time, I think the sooner the better -- and the cheaper it will be."
Nathan is underpaid at $5.25 million this year, and the Twins hold a $6 million option for 2008. He spent the offseason in the Twin Cities and showed how dedicated he is to the cause by his willingness to leave his wife and newborn daughter at the hospital on Wednesday to close out a game if needed.
Agents know how to negotiate with a club and keep the back-and-forth details away from a client until a deal is near. Nathan said last week that he would not be surprised if negotiations on his deal continue during the season without him knowing about every little development so he can focus on closing games.
"Once the season starts, I'm focused on winning and getting to the World Series," said Nathan, who would like to stay through at least 2011.
There are other reasons why in-season negotiations are expected -- and could be successful.
Last August, the Twins signed lefthander Dennys Reyes to a two-year, $2 million extension.
A month earlier, the Twins signed clubhouse leader Mike Redmond to a two-year, $2 million deal with a club option for 2009.
And on July 3, 2000, the Twins signed righthander Brad Radke to a four-year, $36 million deal -- a contract many point to as the start of the organization's rise from the ashes.
There's little doubt that locking up Santana and Nathan through the opening of the new ballpark (it's still 2010, right?) would help keep things from sliding toward to the rock bottom baseball of the late 1990s.
lneal@startribune.com
twins/mlb
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