Minnesota Twins: Why Putting Joe Mauer on Waivers Is a PR Stunt

With countless news threads picking up word of Joe Mauer's recent placement on waivers, here are two FAQ:

1)  How realistic is a Mauer trade? Not very.

2)  Why would the Twins trade the home town hero?  They wouldn't.

And here is why:

The Deception of Waivers

It isn't unheard of for teams to place more than half of their roster on waivers at some point.

As if testing the waters, teams can say no to any team that claims a player on waivers and simply take them off if the offer isn't to their liking.  By placing Mauer on waivers, Minnesota is at the very least seeing what's out there.  Or are they?

MLB teams are under obligation to keep who is on waivers confidential and do not officially announce anything until a deal is done.  Theoretically, that means anyone could be on waivers and the general public wouldn't know it.   

For example, Joe Mauer's M&M Boys cohort, Justin Morneau, was placed on waivers earlier this week. Where was the media storm for that move?

Hmm.

Mauer's Contract

Written into Mauer's contract is a no-trade clause; Mauer can approve of any deal before it happens.  As Mauer told ESPN's David Schoenfield:

"I signed here because this is where I wanted to play."  

Mauer has also said that he believes he can win in Minnesota.  Then why would he agree to a trade?  

Moreover, who wants to pick up his $23 million dollar-a-year tab to get a singles-hitting catcher?  Equally as important: Why would another team agree to a trade?

The Speculating Sarcastic Approach

If the the Twins placed Brian Dozier on waivers, how exciting of a leak would that be? 

Not very.  Fans would most likely assume Minnesota was half-heartedly attempting to pick up a better fielding middle infielder or making room for a new pitcher.

If the Twins placed Joe Mauer on waivers, how exciting of a leak would that be?  

Very exciting!  This could mean the front office is "really" trying to jump start the 52-77 Twins by dumping one superstar for a handful good players. 

The Bottom Line

The Twins are seeing what they can get for Mauer.  They are most likely not considering trading him. Besides, any deal needs Mauer's stamp of approval first.  Plus he wants to win in Minnesota and believes he can.

As Twins GM Terry Ryan told the Pioneer Press' John Shipley on Wednesday: 

"Whoever said we were? Nobody...Whoever said we were trading Joe Mauer?"