Minnesota Twins rumors: Kurt Suzuki, Twins far apart in extension talks
By Hayden Kane
The Minnesota Twins had to explore new options at the catching position this past off-season when they officially moved Joe Mauer out from behind the plate and to first base. They signed veteran Kurt Suzuki to a one-year deal, a move that may or may not have been considered a temporary solution at the time.
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With a successful first half of the season under Suzuki’s belt, including an All-Star appearance, the team now wants to sign him to an extension to keep him with the Twins. They opened those talks with Suzuki and his agent recently, but according to Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, the talks did not gain much traction:
"The Minnesota Twins recently broached the subject of a contract extension with all-star catcher Kurt Suzuki, but the talks didn’t go very far.According to two people with direct knowledge, the Twins and Dan Lozano, Suzuki’s agent, had exploratory talks about extending the catcher’s expiring contract. Establishing fair contract parameters, however, appears to be a challenge as the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline approaches."
There is still something odd about this situation: the Twins hosted the All-Star game and they had the catcher on the field for the final out of the game. Now they are envisioning a future with that same catcher behind the plate, and that catcher’s name is not Joe Mauer. It is old news by now, sure, but it might take a while to get used to.
Suzuki is batting .305/.364/.389 this season, and that’s not to mention the job he has done managing the pitching staff. There is also tremendous value in the fact that he eased the transition with Mauer moving to first. Just how much the Twins and Suzuki value his contributions, however, still remains to be seen.