The Twins' Catch 22%

I hope fifth grade math doesn't trip up the Minnesota Twins. If their payroll is near $100 million and they pay Joe Mauer roughly $22 million that's 22% of the team's salary going to one player. It's not difficult math, but a little mind numbing at the same time. The Twins are stuck in the proverbial Catch-22. Not signing Mauer destroys their image in the minds of fans and players around the league, trading him would get nowhere near equal value in return and signing him financially hamstrings the team possibly for 10 years, but they must sign him. Baseball is a business, but a business where emotions still play a part in decision making. Minnesota sports fans are born with fragile emotions. Losing Mauer to the Yankees would be the baseball equivalent of an atomic bomb directed at the fanbase. If he wants 10 years then Twins have to sign him for 10 years. No one is excited to pay a catcher $20+ million when he's 34 years old, but the hand the Twins have been dealt is drafting and developing one of the best catchers ever. Is 22% of a payroll too much to pay just one player out of 25? Yes, but after losing Torii Hunter and Johan Santana the Minnesota Twins have no choice.