How happy are the Twins they signed Joe Mauer when they did?

Not that Joe Mauer came cheap. He is paid like a unique superstar which he is.
But holy cow, compare Carl Crawford and Jayson Werth‘s contract and their worth to Mauer… an MVP batting champion home town hero catcher?

And if he was on the open market can you imagine the Yankees desperate to make a splash and with a huge hole at catcher and an inviting right field porch doing the bidding?

Can you also imagine the Angels wanting more firepower and star power on the team?

Can you also picture the Red Sox, having let Victor Martinez walk, looking to fill his shoes with the best in the game?

And how about the Cubs wanting to win some fans back? Or the Rangers looking for a long term solution behind the plate?

Could you imagine the bidding war for a player like Mauer?

The bids would START at $200 over 8 years!

Forget a hometown discount. The Twins would have to have him be the owner of the team!

Instead he is stuck with a measly $184 million.

Man, he got lowballed.

Another Cliff Lee thought

Each day Cliff Lee doesn’t sign, it seems like the Rangers, the Yankees and probably some other team add more money to the offer.

Each week that goes by it seems like another year is thrown onto the contract.

What if Cliff Lee waited until just before spring training?

Get the teams all sweating.

He could have a 15 year contract for $375 million.

Hey, it’s worth a shot!

Hey Arte! You can still make this biggest splash this off season!

Arte Moreno, I understand you aren’t happy that the Angels stayed home this October. Since you took over the Angels in 2003 (when they were still the defending champs), the Angels have made the playoffs in 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008 and 2009… yet have yet to make it past the ALCS under your guidance.

I know that this year with the injuries and Kendry Morales breaking his own damn leg must have killed you.

AND seeing Vlady Guerrero make it to the World Series in a RANGERS uniform must have burned you inside.

And you want to make a splash… like you did with Vlad who won an MVP in Anaheim. And Bartolo Colon who won a Cy Young. And Torii Hunter, who is now the face of the franchise.

And yeah, Carl Crawford would have fit in perfectly with the Angels.
So would have Jayson Werth.

But don’t get mad.
WIN THE OFF SEASON!

It’s very simple.
Offer Cliff Lee an 8th season.

Get the biggest free agent on the market and bring him to the Angels. Have him pitch with Jared Weaver and Danny Haren and Ervin Santana, giving the Angels the best rotation in the American League.

Yeah, 8 years is nots nuts, but trust me… you want to play in a nutty game right now and with one bold move you can the Angels so much better and pull the rug out of so many other teams.

It would devastate the Rangers… you know the team that actually won the pennant. Remember them? Your chief rivals?

Improving at THEIR expense is a good way to play October ball.

It would continue to take attention away from the Dodgers, who are only in the news in divorce court these days.

The Dodgers should have traded for Cliff Lee in 2009 and it cost them a pennant. Now have him play in Orange County.

Lest we forget that signing Cliff Lee would make this a disastrous winter for the Yankees. They lost out on Crawford and so far all they have to show for this off season is NOT losing Jeter and Rivera (and they could STILL lose Pettitte.)

Everyone and their moose thinks Lee is signing with the Yankees.
Shock everyone. And tell him “You can avoid the New York media and still have a great chance to win a title. And one title is all they need in Anaheim.”

And while the Angels have played well against the Yankees in the past, it is a wise policy to try and avoid them in October.

So come on! You know you want to raise a World Series trophy as owner. You can do it by patiently building a team up through the farms system and having the chips fall the right way in the playoffs.

The Angels did that in 2002.

Now it is time for a good old fashioned bought pennant.

Will Cliff Lee still be an elite pitcher in 8 years?
Who knows and who cares?

If he’s led the Angels to a few pennants and a World Series title, then it will all be worth it.

So buck up Arte. Make the offer.
You clearly have some dough to spend. Use the cash that was ear marked for Carl Crawford.

Even if you regret it, you’ll still be loved in Boston for keeping Cliff Lee out of the Bronx… and that’s worth SOMETHING.