I am disappointed that the contract keeps coming up. Reality is that Joe Mauer’s career was cut short by a career altering concussion. Of which he was still having symptoms the year he retired. Would there be the same level of discussion about the contract if his career would have been altered by a back injury suffered in, e.g., a home plate collision.
Twins and their fans were robbed of truly great careers from Mauer, Justin Morneau, and to a lesser extent Corey Koskie—all because of career altering concussions. But because Mauer was in a different stage of his contract we somehow feel differently about his injury.